© Reuters. U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken holds an APEC Ministerial Assembly (AMM) Opening Session in San Francisco, California, U.S., November 14, 2023. REUTERS/Carlos Barria/File Picture
By Simon Lewis and Daphne Psaledakis
WASHINGTON (Reuters) -U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken will spotlight the NATO alliance’s ongoing help for Ukraine in its struggle with Russia in Europe this week, the highest State Division official for Europe stated on Monday, even because the struggle in Gaza continues to take up a lot of the Biden administration’s bandwidth.
The struggle between Israel and Hamas and heightened tensions within the wider Center East have raised issues that Washington can’t maintain the extent of navy and diplomatic help it has given Ukraine since Russia’s February 2022 full-scale invasion.
Assistant Secretary of State for European and Eurasian Affairs James O’Brien additionally informed reporters that Blinken, who departed on Monday for Brussels, will spotlight the continuing dedication of america and its allies as he takes half within the first international minister-level assembly of the NATO-Ukraine Council in Brussels.
“This is part of the process of finding a place in the alliance, which we’ve always said is Ukraine’s future,” he stated.
O’Brien stated the Biden administration was assured continued navy help for Ukraine had bipartisan help within the U.S. Congress, which is contemplating a request for extra funding for Ukraine’s protection alongside navy help to Israel and Taiwan.
Requested a few report by Germany’s Bild newspaper that america and Germany have been quietly nudging Kyiv into negotiations with Moscow, O’Brien stated Washington doesn’t have such a coverage.
“We’ve always said that this is a matter for Ukraine to decide,” O’Brien stated.
NATO ministers meet on Tuesday and Wednesday amid ongoing tensions over Sweden’s bid to observe its neighbor Finland in becoming a member of the alliance. Turkey, which alongside Hungary is obstructing Sweden’s accession, has knowledgeable NATO that its parliament won’t full ratification of the bid forward of the conferences, sources informed Reuters final week.
“Our point to our Turkish allies has been that there’s no reason to delay any further and we anticipate seeing some positive action very soon,” O’Brien stated.
Blinken may also handle the rising pressure within the Western Balkans, the place NATO is rising its troop presence amid tensions in northern Kosovo, O’Brien stated, including that Washington helps having a sturdy NATO-led peacekeeping pressure within the area.
“Having the north be secure and quiet is the key to making political progress on the roadmap, and on the two countries’ paths towards Europe,” he stated.
Blinken may also symbolize america at a gathering of the Group for Safety and Co-operation in Europe in Skopje, North Macedonia, this week, O’Brien stated.
