WASHINGTON, 13 April, 2021 (TON): On Tuesday, the U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken set about his visit to Brussels, Belgium, to consult the NATO allies.

The visit supposed to aim to hold talk on a range of shared priorities with the NATO allies.

"Glad to be heading back to Brussels. The US is committed to rebuilding US alliances, particularly with our NATO allies.

"We remain steadfast in our support for NATO as the essential forum for trans-Atlantic security," Blinken tweeted.

On Monday, State Department spokesman Ned Price said in a statement that accompanying Blinken will be Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin for discussions with allies and partners.

Price said, "The Secretary will take this opportunity to reaffirm the US commitment to the Transatlantic alliance as a critical partnership for achieving our mutual goals.

"Separately, Secretary Blinken will hold bilateral and multilateral meetings with European counterparts to discuss key priorities and shared challenges," he added.

However, the trip came amid escalating tensions in eastern Ukraine and Russia's military build-up along the border.