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EU top diplomat to visit Washington in attempt to mend frayed relations

Xinhua, February 9, 2017 Adjust font size:

European Union (EU) foreign policy chief Federica Mogherini will visit Washington on Thursday and Friday in a bid to revive transatlantic relations which has been at its lowest ebb since U.S. President Donald Trump took office in January.

During her visit, Mogherini will meet U.S. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson, White House Advisor Jared Kushner, and U.S. National Security Advisor Michael Flynn, the European External Action Service (EEAS) announced on Wednesday.

The EU's diplomatic service added that she will also meet several U.S. senators.

Moreover, Mogherini will appear on Friday at the think tank Atlantic Council to discuss how the EU can build a strong relationship with the new U.S. administration, the EEAS said.

EU-U.S. relations have been at their lowest ebb since Trump took the reins, with many EU leaders standing against the new U.S. President's words and policies.

The European Council President Donald Tusk on Jan. 31 even branded Trump's "worrying declarations" as an external threat, which along with other factors, "make our future highly unpredictable."

The EU, who slapped sanctions on Russia in 2014 in response to an alleged role it played in conflicts in eastern Ukraine, is deeply concerned over Trump's pro-Russia stance.

Trump has indicated that he could lift sanctions against Russia if Moscow proved helpful in battling terrorists and reaching other goals important to the United States.

Moreover, the top brass of the EU, including Mogherini, recently blasted a travel ban signed by Trump that bars citizens from seven Muslim-majority countries from traveling to the United States for 90 days, and stops accepting refugees for 120 days.

Mogherini last week pledged that the EU would not turn its back on anyone who has the right to international protection, because "this is where we stand, this is where we will continue to stand."

The stance was highlighted again on Wednesday when she addressed a meeting on the Joint Valletta Action Plan, saying "Building walls and borders is not the European way of dealing with the issues."

These words also run contrary to Trump's policies towards migration, considering the U.S. president's controversial travel ban and border wall plans between the United States and Mexico. Enditem