LONDON (Reuters) – British Defense Secretary John Healey said on Monday he expected the incoming Donald Trump administration to remain committed to NATO and Ukraine in its conflict against Russia for as long as needed.

Asked if support for Ukraine had fallen since Trump’s victory in the US presidential election last week, Healey told Sky News: “As far as President Trump is concerned, he recognizes that countries achieve security through strength, just as alliances do like NATO.

“And I expect the US to stand with allies like Britain, with Ukraine for as long as it takes to defeat (Russian President Vladimir) Putin’s invasion.”

Healey also said the U.S. commitment to NATO and European security would remain strong under a Trump presidency, but said he had argued for some time that European nations needed to do more “hard work” on increasing defense spending .

“I don’t expect the US to walk away from NATO. They recognize the importance of the alliance. They recognize the importance of avoiding future conflicts in Europe,” he said.

(Reporting by Sarah Young, Writing by Sachin Ravikumar; Editing by Kate Holton)