The Pentagon chief announced that the United States will soon provide Ukraine with a new significant arms package worth $2.3 billion. Lloyd Austin also discussed with his Ukrainian counterpart Rustem Umerov plans to build a “bridge” from Kiev to NATO. US Secretary of State Antony Blinken also spoke about Ukraine's inclusion in the alliance during a meeting with Andriy Yermak, the chief of staff of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky.
As the boss said Pentagon Lloyd Austin during a meeting with the head of the Ukrainian Ministry of National Defense, USA will announce the package “soon” and it will include additional missiles for Patriots and other air defense systems, and other key munitions.
The package will be one of the most expensive yet announced. Austin said the equipment will be delivered on an “accelerated schedule”
Apart from the situation on the front and help for Ukraine Austin, Umerov and the head of the Ukrainian President's office, Andriy Yermak, also discussed next week's summit FOR THIS in Washington and the “bridge” to Ukraine's membership in the Alliance.
Pentagon chief Lloyd Austin met with Ukrainian Defense Minister Rustem UmyerovJIM LO SCALZO/PAP/EPA
As Pentagon spokesman General Pat Ryder said, the “bridge” is intended, among other things, to prepare the Ukrainian military for participation in NATO through long-term increased capabilities and interoperability with allies.
Ryder also announced that Ukraine will receive its first F-16 fighters this summer, and some Ukrainian pilots have already completed the first stage of training in the United States and are continuing it in Europe.
Blinken: Ukraine will become a member of NATO
– Ukraine will become a member of the North Atlantic Alliance, and the NATO summit in Washington “will help build a bridge” that will lead to this goal – said the US Secretary of State Antony Blinken during a meeting with the head of Zelensky's office, Andriy Yermak.
The politicians met in Washington, where they discussed NATO member states' plans to bring Ukraine closer to the alliance, State Department deputy spokesman Vedant Patel said.
The talks were held ahead of the NATO summit, which is scheduled for July 9-11 in the US capital. The Ukrainian side expects that during this event it will receive strong assurances from the member states regarding its membership candidacy.
During the news conference, Patel said Blinken and Yermak discussed “a range of issues, including the upcoming NATO summit in Washington, the allies' intention to move Ukraine closer to membership in the alliance, and helping to strengthen Ukraine's ability to defend itself against Russian aggression.”
He added that the talks also covered the actions of the G7 countries to “increase the resilience” of the Ukrainian energy network in connection with the intensification of Russian attacks on energy infrastructure in Ukraine in recent months.
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