Stay up to date with notifications from The Independent

Notifications can be managed in browser preferences.

Blinken heads to Iceland meeting with Russia on his mind

Secretary of State Antony Blinken is headed to Europe and North Atlantic islands to put the Biden administration's stamp on climate change policy in the Arctic and warn Russia against interference in the United States, Ukraine and elsewhere

Via AP news wire
Friday 14 May 2021 11:13 EDT
State Religious Freedom
State Religious Freedom

Your support helps us to tell the story

From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.

At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.

The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.

Your support makes all the difference.

Secretary of State Antony Blinken is headed to Europe and North Atlantic islands next week to put the Biden administration’s stamp on climate change policy in the Arctic and warn Russia against interference in the United States Ukraine and elsewhere, the State Department said Friday.

Blinken will visit Denmark, Iceland and Greenland starting on Sunday to stress the U.S. commitment to green technology and preserving environmental stability in the Arctic, the department said. His message to a meeting of the Arctic Council in Iceland will be a marked change from the Trump administration, which had urged the group to take commercial advantage of global warming.

While in Reykjavik, Blinken will meet with Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov in the first high-level face-to-face talks between Moscow and Washington since President Joe Biden took office. That meeting, which comes amid heightened tensions over Ukraine and cyberattacks from Russia on the United States, will largely focus on preparing for a planned summit next month between Biden and Russian President Vladimir Putin.

Despite the focus on Russia, Blinken plans to make climate change a main priority of his participation in the Arctic Council foreign ministers' meeting. At the last such meeting in Finland in 2019, former Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and the U.S. delegation raised eyebrows and concerns from other members by embracing the loss of sea ice as a way to boost maritime commerce.

Blinken, the State Department said, will use his participation “to advance efforts to sustain the Arctic as a region of peace, free of conflict, where Arctic Council members collaborate on shared priorities to protect the wellbeing of Arctic communities and address the ever-growing threat and impacts of the climate crisis.”

Thank you for registering

Please refresh the page or navigate to another page on the site to be automatically logged inPlease refresh your browser to be logged in