The Kabul Tribune (KT) — Reuters reported that U.S.
Secretary of State Marco Rubio and British Foreign Secretary Ed Miliband
discussed the importance of Europe taking a greater role in its own security
during a meeting in Washington on Wednesday, according to the U.S. State
Department.
A British official said the two also reaffirmed the strength
of the relationship between the two allies, including their shared commitment
to the NATO security alliance.
Rubio told reporters before the meeting that the war in
Ukraine would also be on the agenda. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy
has intensified calls on allies for additional air defense missiles as Russia
escalates ballistic missile strikes.
Miliband planned to emphasize that Ukraine’s security is
inseparable from European and transatlantic security and reiterate the United
Kingdom’s commitment to supporting Ukraine for as long as necessary, his
ministry said.
The State Department said Rubio and Miliband also reaffirmed
their shared commitment to safe transit through the Strait of Hormuz and to
ensuring that Iran never develops or obtains a nuclear weapon.
In a statement issued before the meeting, Miliband
underscored the importance of reopening the Gulf waterway to help ease
Britain’s cost-of-living pressures. He also said he would raise the dire
humanitarian situation in Gaza.
The meeting was described by the British official as
productive and warm, with the two diplomats agreeing to remain in close contact
in the coming weeks and months.
It was Miliband’s second meeting with Rubio after a brief
introduction at the ASEAN meeting in Manila in July.
Miliband, who serves as Britain’s governor on the World
Bank’s board, is also scheduled to meet World Bank President Ajay Banga during
his brief visit to Washington, the ministry said.