U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin is set to host talks Tuesday with Ukrainian Defense Minister Rustem Umerov in a session the Pentagon says will show U.S. support for Ukraine’s security.
The talks come a week before the United States hosts a NATO summit where military support for Ukraine to help it defend against a Russian invasion is set to top the agenda.
“Secretary Austin and Minister Umerov will discuss the bilateral defense cooperation, regional security issues and ways to strengthen the defense partnership between the United States and Ukraine,” Pentagon deputy press secretary Sabrina Singh told reporters Monday.
U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken also is hosting talks Tuesday with Andriy Yermak, the chief of staff to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.
The United States has been by far the biggest supporter of Ukraine in the more than two years since Russia launched its full-scale invasion.
U.S. military aid is again flowing to Ukrainian forces after stalling for several months amid political gridlock in the U.S. Congress.
Zelenskyy said in a video address late Monday that he expects this month to “bring even more strength to Ukraine, particularly in protecting our sky and achieving real security for our country.”
“Long-range weapons, fighter jets for Ukraine—of sufficient quality and quantity, and more air defense systems—are crucial factors affecting the entire course of this war,” Zelenskyy said.
Russia’s daily aerial attacks with missiles and drones against Ukrainian cities have pushed Zelenskyy to seek more missile defense systems and to try to speed the delivery of fighter jets for Ukrainian forces to use.
Ukraine has also sought to bolster its domestic production of attack drones, and has been carrying out its own aerial attacks, especially targeting areas along the Ukraine-Russia border.
Russia’s defense ministry said Tuesday it shot down four Ukrainian aerial drones over the Bryansk region, four drones over the Belgorod region and three more drones over Russia-occupied Crimea.
Vyacheslav Gladkov, the governor of Belgorod, said the attacks injured two people and damaged a shopping center.
A Russian official in Crimea reported damage to several houses and cars, but no injuries.
Some information for this story was provided by Reuters.
