Ukraine's Defense Minister Rustem Umerov and Pentagon chief Lloyd Austin discussed Ukraine's 2024 operations plan. A separate focus of the ministerial meeting was to strengthen Ukraine's air defense. This was reported by the Ministry of Defense of Ukraine on Facebook.
"The parties discussed Ukraine's strategic goals and operations plan for 2024. Separately, the ministers discussed the development of joint defense cooperation and attracting investment in the military-industrial complex," the statement said.
"There was an open, honest dialogue between the Ukrainian and American governments and companies on the localization of production in Ukraine, the current needs and capabilities of our countries, opportunities for cooperation, investment and joint ventures," Umerov said.
The ministers also discussed continued US support for Ukraine. Umerov expressed hope that funding for 2024 would be approved.
"A special focus is on strengthening air defense. This is especially important in winter," the Defense Ministry said.
Umerov and Austin also discussed the training of the Ukrainian army in accordance with NATO standards and the construction of fortifications.
