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Shoring up allied support for Ukraine ahead of President-elect
Donald Trump 's return to the White House in January will top
the agenda at NATO foreign ministers meetings in Brussels on
Tuesday and Wednesday, according to the State Department.
Blinken will “discuss priorities for transatlantic security,
including supporting Ukraine’s fight against Russia’s invasion,
deepening cooperation with NATO’s southern partners in the
Middle East, North Africa, and Sahel regions, and preparing for
the upcoming summit at The Hague,” the department said in a
statement.
Outgoing President Joe Biden will not be in power when NATO
leaders gather for their next summit in June but he has stepped
up the delivery of weapons and other materiel to Ukraine over
the past several months and has also eased restrictions on how
Kyiv can use them.
Biden's goal is to put Ukraine in the best position possible to
negotiate a settlement and has come as Moscow has made
significant advances in the conflict and North Korean troops
have moved to assist Russian forces.
By contrast, Trump has been skeptical of the U.S. assistance and
has suggested that his administration will sharply curtail or
end it. He has also appointed former Gen. Keith Kellogg to
oversee efforts to mediate an end to the war.
From Brussels, Blinken will travel to Malta where he will attend
a Thursday meeting of foreign ministers from the Organization
for Security and Cooperation in Europe, a group that has been
challenged by recent developments in Ukraine, Georgia and
elsewhere.
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