The US Secretary of Defense will visit Israel, Germany and the United Kingdom

This content was released on 09 April 2021 – 00:33
09 April 2021 – 00:33

(AFP)

The Pentagon announced on Thursday that US Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin will visit NATO headquarters in Israel, Germany, the United Kingdom and Belgium next week to hold talks with government and military leaders.

During his visit to Israel, Austin, the highest-ranking official in President Joe Biden’s administration, will meet with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Defense Minister Benny Kantz.

According to the Pentagon, they will discuss Washington’s commitment to maintaining military superiority over Israel’s “shared priorities.”

In Europe, he will hold talks with German Defense Minister Annegret Gromb-Garnbauer and the Chancellor’s Foreign and Security Policy Adviser John Hecker; With NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg; And with British Defense Secretary Ben Wallace.

Austin will leave Washington on Saturday, but no dates have been set for each country.

The trip coincides with escalating tensions between Israel and Iran as the Biden administration seeks to push Tehran back to a nuclear deal, from which former President Donald Trump has left the country.

On the European front, Russia has sent cooling across the continent by stationing troops on its border with Ukraine.

“Russia now has more troops on the Ukrainian border than ever before since 2014,” White House press secretary Jen Zhaki said Thursday, adding that Biden was “more concerned” about the situation.