US Deputy Secretary of State for European and Eurasian Affairs Karen Donfried will be in Sofia today and tomorrow for a series of summits to confirm the strong bilateral partnership between the United States and Bulgaria, the US State Department said in a statement.

During his visit, Donfried will meet with high-ranking Bulgarian government officials and political party leaders to discuss a number of key issues, such as bilateral security cooperation, NATO's unified response to Russia's unprovoked war against Ukraine, and the US commitment to strengthening Bulgaria's energy security, anti-corruption efforts and other regional issues are highlighted by the US State Department.

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This is another in a series of high-level contacts between the United States and Bulgaria, the statement said.

Most recently, US Vice President Kamala Harris, US Secretary of State Anthony Blinkon, White House National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan and Deputy Secretary of State for Political Affairs Victoria Newland met with Prime Minister Kirill Petkov during a visit to Washington on 9 and 10 May.

In March, US Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin visited Bulgaria, and in February, State Department Adviser Derek Cholet was in Sofia, the statement said.

Donfried's visit will build on these recent contacts and pave the way for the next US-Bulgarian strategic dialogue meeting later this year, the State Department said.

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