Deputy Head of the Office of the President of Ukraine Roman Mashovets met with US Defense Attaché Brittany Stewart and other representatives of the US Embassy in Ukraine and discussed practical ways to implement the next stage of bilateral security and defense agreements reached during President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy's visit to the United States and his meeting with US Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin in Kyiv.
Roman Mashovets informed the American side about the security situation in eastern Ukraine, in the Black Sea region and along the Ukrainian border. He focused on the increase in the number of ceasefire violations by Russian forces in recent days, the intensification of enemy snipers’ activities, which leads to casualties among Ukrainian defenders, as well as the militarization of Russian-occupied Crimea and the concentration of additional Russian units near Ukraine, which remained after the West-2021 Russian-Belarusian strategic exercises.
In the context of the practical implementation of bilateral agreements and initiatives of the Head of State, the roadmap for joint actions was discussed and concrete measures for the near future were proposed. Roman Mashovets noted the importance of setting priorities in this process and coordinating the actions of all involved structures in the security and defense sector.
The representatives of the US Embassy in Ukraine stressed the need for a comprehensive approach to the process of implementation of these agreements.
Particular attention was paid to security in the Black Sea region and strengthening bilateral cooperation to ensure it. The US Defense Attaché announced the arrival in the Black Sea of the US Navy headquarters ship "Mount Whitney" and the intentions of the United States to continue providing assistance for the development of the Ukrainian Navy.
Brittany Stewart also noted the readiness of the American side to continue providing support and practical assistance to Ukraine to protect its territorial integrity and deter the aggressor.
The parties agreed to continue coordinating joint efforts aimed at ensuring security in the region and the development of Ukraine's security and defense sector.