CHISINAU (Reuters) – U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken is due to arrive in the Moldovan capital, Chisinau, on Wednesday, the first stop on a short European tour aimed at solidifying Western support for Ukraine to NATO allies and neighbours.
The US diplomat's visit comes as Ukraine seeks to fend off an escalation of Russian aggression in the east and as President Vladimir Putin has warned that allowing Kiev to use Western weapons to attack Russian soil would spark a global conflict.
Blinken is due to meet President Maia Sandu and other senior officials in Chisinau, where U.S. officials say the country faces a Russian “influence operation.”
Jim O'Brien, the State Department's top diplomat for Europe, told reporters on Friday that the United States would likely announce a “robust package” to help Moldova achieve energy independence, but gave no details.
He added that Washington does not see a direct military threat from Russia against the Transnistria region, which broke away from Moldova.
Mr Blinken is due to travel to Prague later this week to attend an informal meeting of NATO foreign ministers, which will focus on advancing preparations for a NATO summit in Washington in July.
“While I do not expect Ukraine to be invited to join NATO, I do think there will be significant support shown to Ukraine in its efforts to win the war,” O'Brien said.
“This includes continued NATO support in building Ukraine's future military and efforts to help Ukraine make the necessary reforms to join the EU and build a bridge to NATO as soon as possible.”
The United States is working with European allies to help Ukraine build its long-term military capabilities, an effort that would move Kiev closer to NATO. Individual member states, including the United States, are working to conclude bilateral agreements with Ukraine.
More than two years into Europe's deadliest war since World War Two, Western nations are debating how to stop Russian forces advancing and Putin is increasingly raising the risk of global war.
One key issue is whether allies will be allowed to use weapons provided to Ukraine to attack Russian soil, an issue that could be discussed at the Prague conference.
NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg told The Economist that allies should allow Ukraine to use its weapons on Russian soil, a view supported by some of NATO's European allies but not the United States.
The United States has repeatedly said it does not encourage Ukraine to attack Russian soil.
(Reporting by Humeyra Pamuk; Editing by Don Durfee and Alistair Bell)
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