Blinken heads to final NATO foreign ministers meeting of Biden administration with Ukraine in focus

WASHINGTON — State Secretary Anthony Blinken returns to Europe on Monday for what will likely be the final high NATO meeting before the Biden administration leaves office next month.

Strengthening allied support for Ukraine in the run-up to the president-elect Donald Trump ‘s return to the White House in January will be top of the agenda during NATO foreign ministers’ meetings in Brussels on Tuesday and Wednesday, according to the State Department.

Blinken will discuss “transatlantic security priorities, including supporting Ukraine’s fight against Russian invasion, deepening cooperation with NATO’s southern partners in the Middle East, North Africa and Sahel regions, and preparing for the upcoming summit in The Hague,” the department said. a statement.

Outgoing chairman Joe Biden will not be in power when NATO leaders meet for their next summit in June, but he has increased the supply of weapons and other equipment to Ukraine in recent months and also eased restrictions on how Kiev can use them.

Biden’s goal is to put Ukraine in the best possible position to negotiate a solution. That has happened as Moscow has made significant progress in the conflict and North Korean troops have begun assisting Russian forces.

Trump, by contrast, is skeptical of U.S. aid and has suggested his administration will sharply cut or end it. He also has former general. Keith Kellogg to oversee efforts to mediate an end to the war.

From Brussels, Blinken will travel to Malta, where he will attend a meeting Thursday of foreign ministers from the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe, a group challenged by recent developments in Ukraine, Georgia and elsewhere.