WASHINGTON (AP) \u2014 Secretary of State\u00a0Antony Blinken\u00a0is heading to Brussels for talks with European and NATO allies about Afghanistan, Ukraine and other matters.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The State Department says Blinken will have meetings in the Belgian capital on Tuesday and be met there by Defense Secretary\u00a0Lloyd Austin\u00a0for additional consultations on Wednesday.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Spokesman Ned Price said Monday that Blinken would use the visit \u201cto reaffirm the U.S. commitment to the Transatlantic alliance as a critical partnership for achieving our mutual goals.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The trip comes ahead of a May 1 deadline set by the Trump administration for\u00a0the withdrawal of U.S.-led coalition troops\u00a0from Afghanistan. That deadline is\u00a0not expected to be met, according to President Joe Biden and other officials as\u00a0peace talks\u00a0between the Afghan government and the Taliban remain inconclusive.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The meetings are also taking place amid a buildup of Russian troops along the Russia-Ukraine border that has concerned Western officials as\u00a0tensions between Ukrainian forces and pro-Russia separatists\u00a0rise in eastern Ukraine.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
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