The European Union agreed to give $54 billion more support to Ukraine on Thursday. It will help Ukraine pay salaries, pensions, and other government bills. It will allow Kyiv to continue fighting Russian invaders. EU leaders deserve praise for persuading Russian President Vladimir Putin‘s favorite EU leader, Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban, to support this allotment of extra cash. But the new EU money is important for another reason: It reduces pressure on the United States to carry most of the financial burden of Ukraine’s support.

Ukraine is 3,990 miles from the U.S. but borders four EU member states. Russia’s war is part and parcel of Putin’s imperial project to dominate Eastern and Central Europe. This encompasses at least four EU and NATO member states — Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, and Poland. It is imperative for EU security that Russia be defeated.