U.S. Says Will 'Continue To Stand Shoulder To Shoulder' With Ukraine In Fight Against Russian Aggression

The United States reiterated on Wednesday that it would 'continue to stand shoulder to shoulder' with Ukraine as it fights back against the Kremlin's aggression, TURAN's Washington correspondent reports.

"As you saw I think late last week, we announced another Presidential Drawdown Authority. And I expect we’ll continue to stand shoulder to shoulder with our Ukrainian partners," State Department's Principal Deputy Spokesperson Vedant Patel told a daily briefing when responding to TURAN's questions.

Patel's comments came as a key U.S. diplomat overseeing Eurasia, James O’Brien, wrapped up his trip to Kyiv where he "had a number of government-to-government engagements on ways in which we can continue to support our Ukrainian partners," as the State Department put it.

"Our engagement with Kyiv and Assistant Secretary O’Brien’s visit is – continues to be in line with this administration’s long support of our Ukrainian partners," Patel said.

O’Brien met with top Ukrainian officials and discussed the current situation on the battlefield and the status of defence agreements between Ukraine and the U.S, according to Ukrainian media.

Separately, U.S. Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin on Wednesday also spoke with his Ukrainian counterpart Rustem Umerov regarding priority security assistance efforts and Ukraine's ongoing operations.

"Secretary Austin and Minister Umerov also discussed the strong support from Allies and partners in helping meet Ukraine's urgent military requirements. Minister Umerov provided an update on battlefield dynamics, as well as the impact of Russia's continued attacks in Ukraine," the Pentagon said in a readout of the call.