WASHINGTON — The White House said emphatically today that U.S. taxpayers are not responsible for helping Europe solve its debt crisis, as President Barack Obama and European Union leaders huddled in Washington amid growing fears over the future of the euro.

Experts say that without drastic action, the euro could be days away from collapsing, a scenario that could cause further financial damage to the already shaky American economy.

Obama and senior U.S. officials were spending much of today’s meeting with top representatives from the EU as part of an annual summit focused largely on the global economy.

White House spokesman Jay Carney said Obama would reiterate in the meetings that Europe must act decisively and conclusively to rein in its debt crisis, and should not expect additional financial help from the U.S.

“This is something they need to solve and they have the capacity to solve, both financial capacity and political will,” Carney said.

“We do not in any way believe that additional resources are required from the United States and from American taxpayers,” he added.