Aug. 30 () –
US Defense Secretary Lloyd J. Austin and his Ukrainian counterpart Rustem Umerov discussed the current political-military alliance between their respective governments at a meeting in Washington on Friday, outlining Ukraine’s “priorities” for continuing to confront the Russian invasion.
Austin “has reaffirmed the United States’ long-standing support for a “free, secure and sovereign” Ukraine, as stated by the Department of Defense, which has highlighted in a statement the role of the alliance of around fifty countries that have collaborated with kyiv since the beginning of the Russian military offensive two and a half years ago. This group, in fact, will meet again on September 6.
The Ukrainian government has made no secret of the fact that it needs more weapons from its international partners, and that they arrive more quickly. The Pentagon has included among these needs material to reinforce anti-aircraft defence, with a view to preventing “brutal” attacks such as those that have continued to occur this week.
Umerov stressed to the media that “the leadership of the United States has set a clear example to encourage other partners to stand by Ukraine at this critical moment.” However, the minister also advocated investing in domestic production, an area in which he believes “significant progress” has been made.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky announced this week the first successful test of a domestically-made ballistic missile, a symbolic milestone for the defense sector.
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