Blinken welcomes Northern Ireland talks progress after meeting UK's Cleverly

Reuters

Published Jan 17, 2023 06:08PM ET

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken said after meeting his British counterpart on Tuesday that Washington welcomed apparent progress in talks between Britain and the European Union aimed at resolving a post-Brexit trade row over Northern Ireland.

Blinken and Britain's Foreign Secretary James Cleverly's talks at the State Department in Washington focused on support for Ukraine in its war with Russia but also touched on issues including ongoing talks regarding Northern Ireland.

Blinken reiterated the U.S. position that there must be a negotiated settlement that is acceptable to all sides.

"And we're heartened that in recent days the United Kingdom and the European Union have made substantive progress toward a negotiated solution," Blinken told a news conference after the meeting.

Cleverly told reporters he updated Blinken on the negotiations, which he said were "conducted in good faith with a genuine desire to get resolution to these important issues."