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US Secretary of State Antony Blinken will travel to London next week to discuss the Middle East and Ukraine, the State Department announced on Saturday, ahead of a visit to Washington by British Prime Minister Keir Starmer.
Blinken’s visit to London on Monday and Tuesday will be the most significant by a U.S. official since Starmer’s Labour Party won an election in July, ending 14 years of Conservative rule.
Blinken will engage in a strategic dialogue “reaffirming our special relationship,” State Department spokesman Matthew Miller said.
He will discuss Asia and the Middle East and “our collective efforts to support Ukraine,” Miller said in a statement.
The White House had previously announced Starmer’s visit next Friday, his second trip to Washington since his election.
The United Kingdom and the United States have cooperated in unison on most global issues, and Joe Biden’s Democrats have historically been seen as closer to the Labour Party than to the Conservatives.
Starmer, however, has taken a tougher line on Israel since taking office, with his government announcing the suspension of some arms shipments, citing the risk that they could be used to violate humanitarian law.
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