Blinken discusses NATO, aid for Ukraine with German officials

Moscow: US Secretary of State Antony Blinken has met with the top diplomats of Germany, France and the United Kingdom on the sidelines of the NATO foreign ministers’ meeting in Brussels to discuss support for Ukraine and strengthening the alliance, the US Department of State said.

“Secretary of State Antony J. Blinken met [on Tuesday] with French Foreign Minister Catherine Colonna, German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock, and UK Foreign Secretary James Cleverly on the sidelines of the NATO Foreign Ministers’ Meeting in Brussels. The ministers discussed enduring NATO and bilateral support for Ukraine,” the department’s statement read.

Blinken expressed his hope that NATO summit in Vilnius, Lithuania, scheduled for July 2023, would be successful and noted the work needed to increase NATO’s deterrence and defense capabilities, the US Department of State said.

In addition, the US secretary of state expressed concern over a possible escalation of the situation around Iran’s nuclear program and stressed the importance of continued close cooperation “to advance shared objectives of peace, stability, and prosperity in the Indo-Pacific and beyond,” the statement read.

Brussels is hosting the NATO foreign ministers’ meeting from April 4-5 under the chairmanship of NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg. Japanese Foreign Minister Yoshimasa Hayashi is also taking part in the event.