During their visit to the United States, Head of the Office of the President of Ukraine Andriy Yermak and Defense Minister Rustem Umerov met with U.S. Secretary of State Anthony Blinken and Pentagon Chief of Staff Lloyd Austin. UNN reports this with reference to the Office of the President.
Details
Yermak thanked Anthony Blinken for all the powerful assistance provided to Ukraine since the beginning of Russia's full-scale invasion. In particular, it is almost $45 billion in defense aid and $22.9 billion in budget support.
The head of the President's Office also noted the organization of the Defense Industries Conference, which is taking place these days in Washington, D.C. According to him, the forum will launch active bilateral military-technical cooperation between the two countries. As noted, Ukrainian defense companies with the support of American partners are able to produce fundamentally better weapons.
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The parties also discussed the need to maintain Ukraine's macro-financial stability. Yermak expressed hope that the U.S. Congress would soon make all the necessary decisions.
They also discussed the progress of negotiations on security guarantees for Ukraine on its way to NATO. The Head of the President's Office expressed hope that a substantive discussion of the American side's proposals for a bilateral agreement on security guarantees for our country would begin soon.
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Members of the Ukrainian delegation briefed Lloyd Austin on the situation on the battlefield and the urgent needs of Ukrainian defenders, including armored vehicles, demining vehicles, artillery systems and ammunition, long-range missiles, and combat aircraft. Special attention was paid to the need to build a system of fortifications.
The meeting also emphasized the importance of further strengthening Ukraine's air defense, critical infrastructure, and grain corridor routes.
The future of Ukraine is in NATO. Therefore, our goal and task is to bring the Defense Forces in line with the principles and standards of the Alliance, Rustem Umerov said.
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