In the midst of increased diplomatic attempts to put an end to the conflict in Ukraine, the UK Foreign Office confirmed that British Foreign Secretary Yvette Cooper will meet her American counterpart Marco Rubio in Washington on Monday.
As Prime Minister Keir Starmer hosts Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and the leaders of France and Germany in London, she makes her maiden trip to the US capital since taking over as Britain’s top diplomat in September.
The consultations on Monday come after days of discussions between US and Ukrainian officials in Miami last week regarding a US-led strategy to put an end to the war in Ukraine, which has been going on for almost four years and is the deadliest conflict in Europe in eight decades.
Zelensky said Saturday he and his negotiating team had had a “very substantive and constructive” call with US envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner.
The Foreign Office in London stated that “the UK and US will reaffirm their commitment to reaching a peace deal in Ukraine” when announcing Cooper’s visit to Washington.
It stated that “President Trump’s ongoing efforts to secure a just and lasting peace” are supported by Britain.
London stated that the discussions between the transatlantic partners will “cover US efforts to sustain the ceasefire and make progress on President Trump’s peace plan,” with an emphasis on the Gaza crisis.
The October 7, 2023, Hamas attack on Israel sparked two years of full-scale fighting, which ended with the precarious US-backed truce and hostage agreement.
Despite the ceasefire, more than 350 Palestinians have been killed in Gaza, according to local health authorities, as well as three Israeli soldiers.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Sunday that he expected to move into the second phase of the US-sponsored ceasefire plan for Gaza “very shortly”, noting it is “is more difficult”.
The UK Foreign Office said Cooper will also discuss the ongoing conflict in Sudan and “the urgent need to press the warring parties to agree to a humanitarian truce, the prevention of atrocities and humanitarian access”.
Separately on Sunday, Cooper announced London will host a major international summit next summer to tackle global “flows of dirty money”.
The June 23-24 Illicit Finance Summit at Lancaster House will convene governments, civil society and private sector representatives, including major banks, to discuss strengthening global enforcement efforts to “prevent, disrupt and recover dirty money”.
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