(Observer Network News)
On August 31, local time in the United States, Ukrainian President Vladimir Zelensky arrived in Washington and began his visit to the United States. On the same day, U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin met with Zelenskiy, and the United States and Ukraine also signed a strategic defense framework agreement. In addition to claiming that the United States will "continue to help Ukraine fight Russia," Austin mentioned that the United States is also prepared to provide Ukraine with a $60 million package of military aid. The White House said that US President Biden will also meet with Zelenskiy on September 1, local time.
Regarding Zelenskiy's visit to the United States, the Russian Satellite News Agency mentioned on August 31 that The Russian president's press secretary, Dmitry Peskov, said, "Russia does not believe that it has the right to interfere in the relationship between the United States and Ukraine, but will pay close attention." ”
Austin met with Ukrainian President Zelenskiy pictured from the US Department of Defense website
According to the news on the website of the US Department of Defense on August 31, local time, US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin met with Ukrainian President Zelenskiy on the same day, and the two sides held talks and signed a framework agreement on cooperation in the research and development of weapons and military technology and equipment.
Austin first talked about the Crimea issue between Ukraine and Russia. "The United States is unwavering in its support for Ukraine's sovereignty and territorial integrity, and we reiterate our call on Russia to halt its occupation of Crimea and to stop the conflict in eastern Ukraine," he claimed. In the face of Russian aggression, the United States will continue to stand with Ukraine. ”
The U.S. Department of Defense said it wanted to strengthen its strategic defense partnership with Ukraine by signing a strategic defense framework agreement with Ukraine. Austin said the agreement aims to "strengthen cooperation between the two countries" and "continue to help Ukraine counter Russian aggression by ensuring bilateral security cooperation between the United States and Ukraine." ”
In addition, the agreement confirms that the United States will continue to support Ukraine's accession to NATO. Under the agreement, the United States will continue to support Ukraine in reforming Ukraine's defense sector in accordance with NATO standards, promoting the implementation of the Ukrainian defense industry development strategy and the reform of the Ukrainian armed forces. In addition, Ukraine and the United States will deepen cooperation in the areas of Black Sea security, cybersecurity and intelligence sharing.
Austin also thanked Ukraine for its help in the U.S. evacuation from Afghanistan.
Screenshot from the White House website
The US White House website also published a press release on September 1, saying that Austin mentioned in his meeting with Zelenskiy that US President Biden has approved a new package of military assistance to Ukraine, worth a total of $60 million, including Javelin anti-tank missiles, and mentioned that the United States has provided more than $2.5 billion in aid to Ukraine.
After the meeting, Ukrainian President Zelenskiy said on his personal social media that "the defense cooperation between the United States and Ukraine has reached a new level." He also said that on territorial issues, the United States will support the Ukrainian side.
Screenshot from Zelenskiy's Twitter
According to the Russian Satellite News Agency on August 31, Russian presidential press secretary Peskov said that Russia does not believe that it has the right to interfere in the relationship between the United States and Ukraine, but will pay close attention to Ukrainian President Zelensky's visit to the United States.
The meeting with Austin is only the "precursor" to Zelenskiy's visit to the United States, and it is expected that on September 1, local time, US President Biden will hold talks with Zelenskiy.
Screenshot of the New York Times report
The New York Times published an analysis on the 31st that the key topics of the expected US-Ukrainian summit include the security assurances of the United States to Ukraine and the security situation in Eastern Europe. Analysts generally expect Biden to express support for Ukraine.
Russian Satellite News Agency also said on the 31st that the US-Ukraine summit talks may involve the United States' participation in the peaceful settlement of the "Donbass conflict" process and energy security-related issues such as the "Nord Stream-2" pipeline project.
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