Ukrainian Defence Minister Umierov to visit Washington

Ukrainian Defence Minister Rustem Umierov will visit Washington and meet with his American counterpart Lloyd Austin.

Sabrina Singh, Deputy Pentagon Press Secretary, said at a briefing on 1 July that Umierov would arrive at the Pentagon the following day and meet with US Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin.

"Secretary Austin and Minister Umierov will discuss the bilateral defence cooperation, regional security issues and ways to strengthen the defence partnership between the United States and Ukraine," Singh said.

Prior to that, Umierov met with Austin in Brussels at a meeting of the Ukraine Defence Contact Group (also known as Ramstein-format meetings).

On 13 June, US President Joe Biden and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy signed a 10-year bilateral security agreement aimed at strengthening Kyiv's defence capabilities.

The President's Office stated that the legal mechanism in the agreement differs from all previous documents signed by Ukraine with partner countries, and the agreement will be legally binding.