Ukraine’s head of state thanked Washington for the help it provides to strengthen the Armed Forces “to counter Russian aggression”
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenski has thanked the United States for military assistance during talks with US Defence Secretary Lloyd Austin.
“The United States remains a major security and defense partner for Ukraine,” the official website of the Ukrainian presidential office quoted Zelensky as saying at a meeting with Austen in Kiev on Tuesday. It is noted that the sides discussed further deepening of practical bilateral cooperation in this area.
According to the presidential office, the head of state thanked the US for the material and technical assistance they are providing to strengthen the Ukrainian Armed Forces “to counter Russian aggression.”
“The prompt implementation of the decision announced during the Ukrainian president’s visit to Washington to provide our state with an additional $60 million in security assistance was noted”, – the statement also said. The Ukrainian leader’s office added that Zelensky and Austin exchanged views on the situation in Donbass, as well as in the Black and Azov seas. “The head of state noted that Ukraine is trying to intensify the work of all negotiating formats to achieve peace in the east [of Ukraine] and restore sovereignty and territorial integrity”, – the statement said.
Zelensky and Austin touched on Kiev’s aspirations for NATO, in particular further US support on this path. “The United States defence secretary was briefed on measures taken to reform the Ukrainian security and defence sector, including the domestic defence industry, in line with NATO standards in order to achieve the criteria for membership of the alliance as soon as possible,” the Ukrainian presidential administration said. Another subject of the negotiations was the energy security of Ukraine and Europe.
Earlier, Austin met his Ukrainian counterpart Andriy Taran in Kiev. They discussed security cooperation in the Black Sea. Additionally, at the briefing, the Pentagon chief called on Russia to stop the war in Donbass, to stop destabilisation in the Black Sea and along the Ukrainian borders, and to stop cyber attacks on the US and its allies.
At the end of August, it became known that US President Joe Biden ordered to allocate up to $60m in military aid to Ukraine from Pentagon funds. The new aid package includes defensive lethal weapons. Earlier, it was reported that Kiev had already started to receive weapons as part of this package. In particular, Ukraine is expecting a shipment of US-made Javelin anti-tank missile systems by the end of the year.