US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken. File photoWASHINGTON, May 22U.S. Secretary of State Anthony Blinken and his new French counterpart, Catherine Colonna, discussed support for Ukraine and NATO membership for Sweden and Finland in their first telephone conversation, the State Department said. The column was appointed Foreign Minister on Friday France after three years as ambassador to the UK. “Secretary of State and Foreign Secretary Colonna agreed on the need to continue strong support for Ukraine,” the press release said. Without giving details, the State Department added that Blinken and Colonna discussed steps that could «They touched on the subject of the NATO alliance, including how best to support Finland's and Sweden's membership bids, as well as key topics for the upcoming Madrid summit,» the US and France said. “The interlocutors also agreed on the need to respond to urgent needs for food and the security of millions of people who find themselves in a vulnerable situation around the world,” the State Department added. Blinken and Colonna also discussed the implementation of agreements on the introduction of a global tax on the profits of multinational corporations.
Ukraine's accession to the European Union may take up to 20 years, according to the French Foreign Ministry
