U.S. Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin made an unannounced visit to Kyiv today to meet with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and other Ukrainian military officials. This is Austin’s second visit to Ukraine, with his first visit happening in April 2022 shortly after the Russian invasion. The visit with Ukrainian officials is an effort to show continuing U.S. support for Ukraine, despite focus in the last month shifting to the conflict in Israel.
Austin reaffirmed U.S. support for Ukraine, announcing on X, “I was honored to meet with President @ZelenskyyUa in Kyiv today to reaffirm the United States’ steadfast support for Ukraine. We, along with our allies and partners, will continue to support Ukraine’s urgent battlefield needs and long-term defense requirements.”
Minister of Defense of Ukraine Rustem Umerov met with Austin to discuss Ukraine joining NATO, writing on X, “Another important topic we touched on is NATO. Ukraine have chosen ITS path: to become a NATO member.“
