US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken spoke on the phone with Prime Minister Dimitar Kovacevski today, to discuss Ukraine and the situation in the region.

Secretary Blinken congratulated Prime Minister Kovachevski on his new position and on the formation of the new cabinet. The Secretary thanked (North) Macedonia for its unwavering and steadfast support for Ukraine in the face of President Putin’s continued brutal war of aggression. The Secretary also underscored strong U.S. support for (North) Macedonia’s expeditious European Union accession. The Secretary personally thanked the Prime Minister for (North) Macedonia’s commitment to the NATO Alliance as its newest member, as well as for hosting Afghan evacuees. The Secretary expressed that the United States looks forward to further close cooperation on a range of regional, security, and defense issues to promote democracy and stability in the region, the readout informs.