U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken has stressed cooperation with non-member states of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization(NATO) in countering Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, and mentioned a group of countries including South Korea as such partners.

Speaking at a Senate budget hearing on Tuesday, Blinken said that the U.S. is shifting its focus of cooperation beyond NATO members and toward non-NATO members, specifically noting the “AP 4."

The AP 4 refers to NATO’s four Asia-Pacific partners – South Korea, Japan, Australia and New Zealand.

Pointing to attendance by the AP 4 at the NATO foreign ministers’ meeting early this month, Blinken said the four nations will also be at a NATO summit to be attended by President Joe Biden.

Attending the NATO foreign ministers’ meeting in Brussels on April 7, Foreign Minister Chung Eui-yong spoke of Seoul plans to provide Ukraine with humanitarian aid worth a total of 40 million U.S. dollars and will consider an additional package.

The next NATO summit will be held in Madrid on June 29 and June 30.