US officials to meet with NATO as Afghanistan deadline looms

They are also expected to discuss the Iran nuclear accord and the Russian military build-up along the border of Ukraine.

United States Secretary of State Antony Blinken and NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg discussed the Russian military buildup near Ukraine and other issues on Monday before the top US diplomat’s trip to Brussels this week. Blinken and Stoltenberg discussed “the immediate need for Russia to cease its aggressive military buildup along Ukraine’s borders and in occupied Crimea” as well as prospects for advancing peace in Afghanistan, the US State Department said in a statement. Blinken is set to head to the Belgian capital for the second time in weeks to consult with NATO allies as a deadline looms for a US troop withdrawal from Afghanistan.