This week, US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken will emphasize NATO's continued support
NATO's continued support for Ukraine in its war against Russia,
despite the fact that the war in Gaza continues to consume most of the Biden administration's resources.
of the Biden administration. This was reported by Reuters with reference to the assistant
to the Assistant Secretary of State for European and Eurasian Affairs James O'Brien,
UNN writes.
Details
The war between Israel and Hamas, and the growing tensions in the Middle East,
have raised concerns that Washington cannot maintain the level of military and diplomatic support
military and diplomatic support that it provided to Ukraine after the
Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine
in February 2022.
O'Brien also told reporters that Blinken, who left for
Brussels on Monday, will emphasize the continued commitment of the United States and its
allies as he attends the first meeting of the NATO-Ukraine Council at the level of
foreign ministers in Brussels.
Assistant Secretary of State for European and Eurasian Affairs James O'Brien also
also told reporters that Blinken, who left for Brussels on Monday,
"will emphasize the commitment of the United States and its allies as he attends the
the first meeting of the NATO-Ukraine Council at the level of foreign ministers in Brussels.
Brussels.
This is part of the process of finding a place in the Alliance, which we have always said is the future of Ukraine,
O'Brien said that the Biden administration was confident that continuing
military assistance to Ukraine has the support of both parties in the US Congress, which is considering
is considering a request for increased funding for Ukraine's defense along with
military aid to Israel and Taiwan.
When asked about the German newspaper Bild's report that
the United States and Germany are quietly pushing Kyiv to negotiate with Moscow,
O'Brien said that Washington has no such policy.
We've always said that this is an issue that Ukraine has to resolve,
NATO ministers meet Tuesday and Wednesday amid ongoing tensions over Sweden's
over Sweden's accession to the Alliance next. Turkey, which along with
Hungary is blocking Sweden's accession, has told NATO that its parliament will not finalize
ratification of the application before the meetings, sources told Reuters last week.
Our view to our Turkish allies was that there is no reason for further delays and we expect to see some positive action very soon,O'Brien said.
Supplement
Blinken will also address the situation in the Western Balkans, where NATO is
is considering increasing its military presence amid
tensions in North
Kosovo, O'Brien said, adding that Washington supports the presence of
a strong NATO-led peacekeeping force in the region.
Security and calm in the north is key to achieving political progress on the road map and on the two countries' path to Europe,
According to O'Brien, Blinken will also represent the United States at a meeting of the
Organization for Security and
Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) meeting in Skopje, North Macedonia, this week.
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