WASHINGTON – Secretary of State Anthony Blinken returns to Europe on Monday for what will likely be the last high-level summit NATO meeting before the Biden administration leaves office next month.

Strengthening Allied Support for Ukraine Ahead of Presidential Election Donald Trump NATO’s return to the White House in January will top the agenda for NATO foreign ministers’ meetings in Brussels on Tuesday and Wednesday, according to the State Department.

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

Past President Joe Biden will not be in power when NATO leaders meet for their next summit in June, but it has stepped up the delivery of weapons and other materials to Ukraine in recent months and has also eased restrictions on how kyiv can use them.

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

In contrast, Trump has been skeptical of U.S. aid and suggested his administration would sharply reduce or even end it. He also named the former general. Keith Kellogg oversee mediation efforts to end the war.

From Brussels, Blinken will travel to Malta where he will attend a meeting on Thursday 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.