The U.S. State Department has announced that Secretary of State Antony Blinken will lead a “US-UK strategic dialogue,” a series of meetings aimed at reaffirming the “special relationship” between the two countries. The discussions will cover a variety of important issues, including the Indo-Pacific region, the AUKUS partnership, the Middle East, and collective efforts to support Ukraine.
It is expected that Blinken will also meet with UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer during his visit. The Foreign Secretary and Blinken previously met during Starmer’s first visit to Washington in July for the NATO summit. At that time, they emphasized the importance of providing Ukraine with economic, security, and humanitarian assistance and discussed the need for a ceasefire in Gaza to secure hostage releases and establish a durable peace.
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Blinken, who has visited Israel ten times since the Hamas attacks on October 7 last year, recently met with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. Following their meeting, Blinken noted that Netanyahu had accepted a “bridging proposal” from Washington intended to address obstacles and move closer to an agreement between Israel and Hamas. There is growing pressure on Netanyahu to finalize a deal amid ongoing protests in Israel.
On Friday, the White House announced that UK Prime Minister Starmer will visit Washington for a second bilateral meeting with President Joe Biden on September 13. Starmer’s first meeting with Biden in July focused on reaffirming NATO commitments and the “special relationship” between the UK and the US.
Ahead of next week’s talks, White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre stated that Starmer and Biden will engage in an “in-depth discussion” on a range of global issues, including robust support for Ukraine against Russian aggression, and efforts to secure a ceasefire and hostage release in Gaza. The White House added that Biden will highlight the importance of strengthening the special relationship between the United States and the United Kingdom.
(Includes inputs from online sources)
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