Secretary of Defense Lloyd J. Austin III is greeted by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy during his visit to Kyiv, Nov. 20, 2023. Austin met with Ukrainian leaders and reinforced the staunch support of the United States for Ukraine’s fight against Russian aggression, while also discussing a long-term vision for Ukraine’s future force.  (DoD photo by Chad J. McNeeley)

By  Gary Raynaldo    –  DIPLOMATIC  TIMES

Secretary of Defense Lloyd J. Austin met with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy Monday during an unannounced visit to the country in which he reaffirmed U.S. support for Ukraine.  Austin also met with Defense Minister Rustem Umerov.  The leaders discussed Ukraine’s current operations and near-term and midterm goals and objectives, Austin told reporters following the talks.  

“I wanted to reassure the leadership that the United States of America will continue to support Ukraine,” Austin said. “We talked about the things that we’re going to continue to do to make sure they have what they need to be successful on the battlefield.” 

While in Kyiv,  the U.S. defense secretary  announced a new security assistance package for Ukraine valued at up to $100 million. It marks the 51st drawdown of U.S. inventory for Ukraine since August 2021. The U.S. has provided $44.2 billion in security assistance to Ukraine since the start of the war.