US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo on Wednesday postponed a trip to Ukraine so he could focus on the situation in Iraq after demonstrators attacked the US embassy.
Supporters of Iranian-backed Iraqi paramilitary groups stormed the US embassy's perimeter and hurled rocks in two days of protests. They withdrew on Wednesday after Washington dispatched extra troops and threatened reprisals against Tehran.
Pompeo postponed his trip to Ukraine, Belarus, Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, and Cyprus "due to the need for the Secretary to be in Washington, D.C., to continue monitoring the ongoing situation in Iraq and ensure the safety and security of Americans in the Middle East," State Department spokeswoman Morgan Ortagus said in a statement.
On Tuesday evening Pompeo had told Fox News the Ukraine trip was still on.
Pompeo was set to reaffirm US support for Ukraine on the highest-level US visit since President Donald Trump’s impeachment over his handling of relations with Ukraine.
International / US/Latin America
US Secretary of State Pompeo postpones Ukraine trip to focus on Iraq
US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo speaks about airstrikes by the US military in Iraq and Syria, at the Mar-a-Lago resort in Palm Beach, Florida, December 29, 2019.
