U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken said on Tuesday that NATO must take all necessary measures to be prepared for the coming year amid Russia’s ongoing aggression against Ukraine and other threats.
Blinken spoke alongside NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte in Brussels ahead of a meeting of the alliance’s foreign ministers, which is expected to be the last meeting Blinken will attend as U.S. Secretary of State before the Biden administration leaves office next month.
“This is a pivotal moment, I think, for the alliance to ensure that we are prepared for the year ahead,” Blinken told reporters, adding that he shared Rutte’s concerns about the situation in Ukraine, as well as Russia’s attacks on Ukraine’s strategic infrastructure.
The main focus of the meeting is consolidating allies’ support for Ukraine, ahead of the return of elected President Donald Trump to the White House in January, according to the U.S. State Department.
President Joe Biden has increased the sending of arms and other materials to Ukraine in recent months and has eased restrictions on how Kyiv can use them before his departure from the White House.
His aim is to position Ukraine in the best possible position to negotiate a solution. The NATO meeting comes at a time when Moscow has made significant advances in the conflict and North Korean troops have engaged in helping Russian forces, reports VOA.
Trump has been skeptical of U.S. support for Kyiv and has suggested that his administration would significantly reduce or end it.
