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

WASHINGTON (AP) — Secretary of State Antony Blinken is heading back to Europe on Monday for what will likely be the last high-level NATO meeting before the Biden administration leaves office next month.

Shoring up allied support for Ukraine ahead of President-elect Donald Trump ‘s return to the White House in January will top the agenda at NATO foreign ministers meetings in Brussels on Tuesday and Wednesday, according to the State Department.

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

Outgoing President Joe Biden will not be in power when NATO leaders gather for their next summit in June but he has stepped up the delivery of weapons and other materiel to Ukraine over the past several months and has also eased restrictions on how Kyiv can use them.

Biden’s goal is to put Ukraine in the best position possible to negotiate a settlement and has come as Moscow has made significant advances in the conflict and North Korean troops have moved to assist Russian forces.

By contrast, Trump has been skeptical of the U.S. assistance and has suggested that his administration will sharply curtail or end it. He has also appointed former Gen. Keith Kellogg to oversee efforts to mediate an end to the war.

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