US top diplomat to join UN Security Council meeting on Ukraine

By Michael Hernandez

WASHINGTON (AA) - Secretary of State Antony Blinken will travel to New York to join a UN Security Council meeting of foreign ministers to discuss Russia's ongoing war against Ukraine, the State Department announced Wednesday.

The meeting will mark the one-year anniversary of the Kremlin's war.

Blinken will travel to the UN's headquarters from Feb. 23 - 24, spokesperson Ned Price said in a statement. Price said Blinken "will underscore U.S. commitment to Ukraine's sovereignty and territorial integrity and call upon the international community to endorse UN actions that will help secure a just and durable peace in Ukraine."

"The Secretary will also discuss the need for enhanced humanitarian assistance and humanitarian access to the people of Türkiye and Syria following the recent earthquakes," he added.

The top US diplomat will also meet UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres to discuss several issues, including "economic, security, and humanitarian support the United States and other UN Member States are continuing to provide to Ukraine, and in particular the imperative to sustain and expand the Black Sea Grain Initiative as a vital means of addressing the global food security crisis," said Price.

Tens of thousands of people have been killed during Russia's war and millions of Ukrainians have been displaced. The US has sought to lead an international coalition of nations in Ukraine's support, providing the war-torn country with diplomatic, military and economic assistance to help stave off the invasion.