Blinken arrives in London as part of a week of US-UK diplomacy

London – U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken arrived in London late Monday, at the start of a week of diplomatic talks with the new British government that are expected to focus on Ukraine and the Middle East.

Blinken's visit comes ahead of Prime Minister Keir Starmer's trip to Washington on Friday, his second White House meeting since his Labour Party won elections in July, unseating the Conservatives after 14 years.

Blinken – the highest-ranking US official to visit London since Labour's victory – is expected to meet Starmer and Foreign Secretary David Lammy during his talks on Tuesday.

The senior US diplomat will discuss Asia, the Middle East and “our joint efforts to support Ukraine,” State Department spokesman Matthew Miller said in a statement announcing Blinken's trip.

The United States and Britain work closely together on most global issues, and Starmer has made it clear that he will maintain Britain's role as one of Ukraine's most forceful defenders in the fight against the Russian invasion.

However, former human rights lawyer Starmer has taken a tougher line against Israel since taking office. His government announced the suspension of certain arms deliveries, citing the risk that they could be used to violate international humanitarian law.

In addition, the Labour government has abandoned plans by its previous Conservative government to challenge the International Criminal Court's right to demand the arrest of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

The United States is not a member of the International Criminal Court and opposed the attempt to target Netanyahu, arguing that Israel has its own accountability systems.

However, the United States, Israel's main arms supplier, did not criticize the British arms decision and stated that Britain had its own assessment process.