Kellogg met with Umierov and listened to briefing by Budanov and Syrskyi. PHOTOS
On Monday, 14 July, while on a visit to Kyiv, US Special Representative Keith Kellogg met with the head of the Ministry of Defence of Ukraine Rustem Umierov and heard reports from the head of the Defence Intelligence of Ukraine Kyrylo Budanov and the Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of Ukraine Oleksandr Syrskyi.
Minister Umerov posted this on Facebook, Censor.NET reports.
Meeting with Umierov
According to the head of the defence ministry, during the meeting with Kellogg, they had a substantive and frank conversation about achieving a just and sustainable peace.
"I thanked the United States for supporting Ukraine. This assistance saves lives and brings the end of the war closer," Umerov said.
First Deputy Minister of Defence Serhii Boiev, who attended the meeting, emphasised: "Ukraine is ready for a long-term ceasefire. At the same time, our security and defence are based on a combat-ready army and a strong defence industry, so we are focused on scaling up our own capabilities.
Kellogg and Umierov paid special attention to the development of joint projects to localise arms production in Ukraine and Europe. In particular, they talked about air defence systems and other critical areas.
"Some of them are already being implemented, others are being prepared for launch. They strengthen not only Ukraine but also our allies," the minister said.
"We have unique combat experience - especially in the field of UAVs - and we are ready to share it. Some of the large-scale joint initiatives can be implemented with the participation of European partners or at the expense of frozen Russian assets. They also discussed the issue of sanctions. The Russian energy sector is a key source of war funding. It needs to be consistently and systematically restricted," the statement said.
Briefing for the US delegation
It is noted that Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of Ukraine General Oleksandr Syrskyi, Chief of the General Staff Major General Andrii Hnatov, Chief of the Defence Intelligence of Ukraine Lieutenant General Kyrylo Budanov and intelligence representatives held a briefing for the American side. They informed about the operational situation, assessment of the enemy's plans and Russia's preparations for a wider war - not only against Ukraine, but also against NATO.
"They showed how Ukraine is responding to Russian aggression. General Syrskyi also outlined the priority needs of the Ukrainian army in terms of weapons. I am grateful to General Kellogg and the United States for their consistent support, strategic vision and leadership," the statement said.
