Blinken to visit Israel, Morocco, Algeria to drum up support for Ukraine

WASHINGTON - US Secretary of State Antony Blinken will travel to Israel, Morocco and Algeria March 26-30, the US State Department said in a statement on Thursday.

In Israel, Blinken plans to press Israeli officials on support for the Ukrainian government, seek their thoughts on potential mediation with Russia to end the conflict and update them on the status of the Iran nuclear talks in Vienna. The administration's efforts to promote an Israeli-Palestinian peace dialogue will also be on the agenda.

In Morocco and Algeria, Blinken will discuss the importance of the role that smaller states can play in backing Ukraine’s sovereignty, as well as the US interest in Arab nations continuing to normalize and expand their relations with Israel. While in Rabat, Blinken will also meet with the foreign minister of the United Arab Emirates, a longtime US partner in the Gulf that recently attracted Washington's ire by hosting a visit by Syrian President Bashar Assad.

“The secretary will emphasize to all of the foreign leaders he meets that the United States stands in solidarity with the government and people of Ukraine in the face of the Kremlin’s aggression,” the State Department said in a statement.