Ukrainian foreign minister discusses defense support with Western counterparts

By Burc Eruygur

ISTANBUL (AA) – Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba on Tuesday discussed defense support to Kyiv and the upcoming NATO summit with his US, Polish, Italian, and Canadian counterparts during separate phone conversations.

“During our call today, Secretary of State Antony Blinken reaffirmed the ironclad US support and vehemently rejected any attempts to cast doubt on Ukraine’s capacity to win on the battlefield,” Kuleba said in a statement on Twitter.

He further said Washington, which is focused on advancing Kyiv’s “victory” and securing a “just peace,” remains a “trustworthy partner” of Ukraine.

Earlier, Kuleba said on Twitter that he thanked his Polish counterpart Zbigniew Rau for Warsaw’s support to Kyiv in Russia’s war on Ukraine.

“We reviewed the immediate and long-term needs of Ukraine’s defense forces that can be covered by Poland. We both agree on the need for decisive steps regarding Ukraine at the NATO summit in Vilnius,” Kuleba also said.

About the meeting with his Italian counterpart Antonio Tajani, Kuleba said they discussed new assistance that Rome can provide to help Ukraine win its war with Russia.

The Ukrainian foreign minister also said he discussed ways to “expedite Canada’s security assistance for Ukraine and the upcoming NATO summit in Vilnius” with Canadian Foreign Minister Melanie Joly.

“I am grateful to Canada for standing with Ukraine,” he added.​​​​​​​​​​​​​​