US secretary Blinken to visit UK for Ukraine and Middle East talks

The US Secretary of State Antony Blinken will travel to London on Monday for a two-day visit during which he will meet Foreign Secretary David Lammy.

The US state department says Mr Blinken will open a so-called “US-UK strategic dialogue” - understood to be a series of meetings between senior officials which Washington describes as “reaffirming” the “special relationship” between the two countries.

Mr Blinken will “discuss a range of critical issues, including the Indo-Pacific, AUKUS partnership, the Middle East, and our collective efforts to support Ukraine,” the state department said.

It is understood Mr Blinken is also likely to meet Prime Minister Keir Starmer while he is in the UK.

The foreign secretary and Mr Blinken met on the Keir Starmer's first visit to Washington as prime minister back in July for the Nato summit.

Following that meeting, the state department said that Mr Blinken and Mr Lammy "re-affirmed the importance of ensuring Ukraine has the economic, security, and humanitarian assistance it needs to defend its sovereignty and territorial integrity".

The pair also "discussed the need to reach a ceasefire in Gaza that secures the release of hostages and lays the groundwork for durable peace".

Mr Blinken has been a frequent visitor to Israel, having been 10 times since the Hamas attacks on 7 October last year.

Following his most recent meeting with Benjamin Netanyahu, Mr Blinken said the Israeli prime minister had accepted Washington's so-called "bridging proposal" aimed at trying to solve sticking points and bring Israel and Hamas closer to a deal.

Pressure has been growing on Mr Netanyahu to close out a deal, amid widespread protests in Israel last week.

On Friday, the White House announced that the UK prime minister will also travel to Washington for his second bilateral meeting with President Joe Biden at the White House on Friday 13 September.

The PM said his first face-to face talks with President Biden in July were an opportunity to "recommit" to Nato and the "special relationship" between the UK and US.

Speaking ahead of next week's meeting, White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said Mr Starmer and Mr Biden will have "an in-depth discussion on a range of global issues of mutual interest".

The White House added "robust support to Ukraine in its defence against Russian aggression" will also be discussed, as well as securing a hostage release and ceasefire deal to end the war in Gaza.

"President Biden will underscore the importance of continuing to strengthen the special relationship between the United States and the United Kingdom," the White House also said.