Blinken travels to Brussels to discuss NATO and EU support for Ukraine
Kyiv • UNN
US Secretary of State Blinken travels to Brussels to coordinate further support for Ukraine with NATO and EU partners. The visit takes place against the backdrop of Trump's election victory and North Korean troops' participation in the war on the side of Russia.
US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken is heading to Brussels on Tuesday. In the last weeks of US President Joe Biden's tenure, Washington is looking for ways to "increase" military assistance to Ukraine, UNN reports citing Voice of America.
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According to the publication, after Brussels, Blinken will travel to Lima, Peru, for a meeting of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation, and then travel to Brazil to attend the G20 summit of the 20 largest economies. He will join Biden in Peru and Brazil.
President Biden and Chinese President Xi Jinping are expected to hold one-on-one talks on Saturday on the sidelines of the APEC summit. The meeting is expected to last about an hour and a half. This was reported to Voice of America by informed persons on condition of anonymity.
On Wednesday, Blinken will participate in talks with NATO and European Union counterparts to coordinate further support for Ukraine, and President Biden will meet with President-elect Donald Trump at the White House.
The officials said Biden will ask Trump to "stay the course" on Ukraine. North Korea's direct support for Russia's war in Ukraine is expected to be a central topic of Blinken's discussions with European counterparts and likely to be on the agenda for talks between US officials and their APEC counterparts.
Ukraine reports that North Korean troops are actively participating in hostilities in Russia's Kursk region, prompting condemnation from a number of European countries of the increased military cooperation between Russia and North Korea.
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Meanwhile, Russia continues to shell Ukraine, and the country's supreme military commander said that tens of thousands of Russian troops are ready to attack in Russia's Kursk region, part of which Ukraine seized in August.
Charles Kupchan, a senior fellow at the Council on Foreign Relations, told Voice of America that Trump may try to "bring about a ceasefire in Ukraine," as he made this promise during his election campaign.
At the same time, Kupchan noted: "It will not be as easy as he promised... It will take a lot of time for Zelenskyy and Putin's positions to converge," as the conflict has been going on for more than two and a half years.
After the U.S. presidential election, the State Department said that Blinken had been in contact with his European counterparts.
Among them were French Minister of Europe and Foreign Affairs Jean-Noël Barrot, German Foreign Minister Annalena Burbock and British Foreign Secretary David Lammy.
Officials say the talks focused on the situation in Ukraine, as well as the consequences and threats associated with Russia's decision to send North Korean troops to fight against Ukraine.
Blinken's meetings in Brussels preceded European leaders' talks in Budapest last week, where they discussed transatlantic relations, support for Ukraine, and other pressing issues in light of Trump's victory in the U.S. presidential election last week.
