Washington. September 1. INTERFAX - At a meeting with Ukrainian President and Defense Minister Vladimir Zelensky and Andrei Taran, Pentagon Chief Lloyd Austin confirmed that Washington will continue to support Kiev in countering Russia's policy, and approved Ukraine's desire to join NATO.
"Our support for the sovereignty, territorial integrity and Euro-Atlantic aspirations of Ukraine is unshakable," the Pentagon quotes the American minister in a message about the negotiations.
Austin said that the United States once again calls on Russia "to stop the occupation of Crimea and the perpetuation of the conflict in eastern Ukraine" and assured that they will continue to support Ukraine "in the face of this Russian aggression."
The Pentagon's message notes that the signing of the agreement on the strategic foundations of the defense partnership by the parties is designed to strengthen cooperation with Ukraine in this area.
The agreement " also considers reforms of the defense industry in support of Ukraine's aspirations for NATO membership and deepening cooperation in such areas as security on the Black Sea, cyber defense and intelligence sharing."
Zelensky called this agreement "a new stage in cooperation between Ukraine and the United States in the defense sphere."
"It is very important for us to support the territorial integrity of Ukraine from the United States, to obtain membership in NATO and to jointly counter the aggression of the Russian Federation," he wrote on Twitter.
As reported, Austin and Taran also signed an intergovernmental agreement on projects in the field of research, development, testing and evaluation.
