L-R: Thomas "Tom" Barrett, US Ambassador to Luxembourg; Karen Donfried, US Assistant Secretary of State for European & Eurasian Affairs; Jean Asselborn, Luxembourg's Minister of Foreign & European Affairs;
Credit: US Embassy in Luxembourg
The US Embassy in Luxembourg has reported that the United States (US) Assistant Secretary of State for European and Eurasian Affairs, Karen Donfried, visited Luxembourg on Thursday 21 and Friday 22 July 2022.
During this visit, the US Assistant Secretary of State met Luxembourg's Minister of Foreign and European Affairs, Jean Asselborn, the President of the European Investment Bank (EIB), Werner Hoyer, and other Luxembourg officials and representatives of the European Union (EU). Dr Donfried discussed strengthening transatlantic security, supporting Ukraine and increasing Luxembourgish defence capabilities.
Moreover, Assistant Secretary Donfried's visit reinforced the partnership the US and Luxembourg share in promoting human rights, democracy and prosperity in Europe and she reaffirmed the shared commitment to transatlantic solidarity in the face of Russia's invasion of Ukraine.
Background
Karen Donfried is currently the US Assistant Secretary of State for European and Eurasian Affairs. Prior to her current position, she served as president of the German Marshall Fund (GMF) of the US from April 2014 to September 2021. Previously Dr. Donfried was the Special Assistant to the President and Senior Director for European Affairs on the National Security Council at the White House. Prior to this, she served as the National Intelligence Officer (NIO) for Europe on the National Intelligence Council and worked for the US Department of State's Policy Planning staff, handling the Europe portfolio. Dr Donfried, who is fluent in German, has a PhD and MALD from the Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy at Tufts University and a Magister from the University of Munich, Germany. She holds a bachelor's degree in government and German from Wesleyan University.
The US Assistant Secretary for European and Eurasian Affairs serves as the principal advisor to the Secretary of State and the Deputy Secretaries responsible for the general conduct of the US foreign policy and relations with European and Eurasian states and leveraging regional organizations, such as the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO), the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE), the EU and the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD).
