Secretary of the NSDC of Ukraine Oleksiy Danilov met with US Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for Ukraine and Eurasia Laura Cooper
Secretary of the National Security and Defense Council Oleksiy Danilov held a meeting with US Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for Ukraine and Eurasia Laura Cooper.
During the meeting, the parties discussed topical issues of bilateral cooperation, in particular in the security and defense sphere, and exchanged views on the security situation in Europe and the world.
The NSDC Secretary expressed his gratitude to the United States for its strong and consistent support of our country's independence and territorial integrity, as well as of its movement towards democratic reform. "US assistance is critical to protecting Ukraine from Russian aggression", - he said.
The parties also discussed reforms in Ukraine's security and defense sector. Ms. Cooper emphasized the unfettered support of Ukraine in reforming this sector by all US government institutions and outlined the main priorities of the assistance.
She stressed the importance of implementing the provisions of the law on national security in terms of strengthening civilian control over the Armed Forces, enhancing the transparency and accountability of the military procurement process, improving the accountability and transparency of the military-industrial complex.
The NSDC Secretary asserted that our state is interested in reforming its defense industry in accordance with the best Western standards. "Our strategic goal is to ensure that the domestic defense industry can effectively provide the Armed Forces with the necessary weapons and resources", - he underscored.
Mr. Danilov and Ms. Cooper paid particular attention to the issue of the war in Donbas, in particular, the steps of President Volodymyr Zelenskyy to ensuring a ceasefire and possible ways to achieve a lasting peace. The Secretary of the NSDC of Ukraine stressed that the Ukrainian authorities continue to work hard to reach effective arrangements for the de-escalation of the situation in the temporarily occupied territories.