Ukraine’s Dmytro Kuleba and America’s Antony Blinken held a phone call on Monday, Britain’s The Guardian newspaper reported.
The Ukrainian foreign minister wrote afterwards on the social messaging platform X, formerly known as Twitter: “In our call, Secretary Blinken and I discussed further steps to broaden global support for the Peace Formula and solutions to expand grain exports.”
He added: “I thanked the U.S. for all the assistance provided and stressed the need to enhance Ukraine's long-range capabilities by providing ATACMS,” referring to the US-made long range guided missiles.
Fired from the MLRS family of launchers, including HIMARS, the ATACMS can strike targets up to 300 km away, giving operational commanders “the immediate firepower to win the deep battle,” according to the weapon’s producer, Lockheed Martin.
Meanwhile, America’s top diplomat said: “Spoke with Dmytro Kuleba about security arrangements, conversations in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia about a just and durable peace in Ukraine, and developments in Ukraine’s counteroffensive efforts.”
He stressed: “We remain committed to standing with Ukraine in its defense against Russia’s aggression.”
The US State Department said in a statement: “Secretary of State Antony J. Blinken spoke with Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba today via phone from Washington, D.C. The two discussed developments in Ukraine’s counteroffensive efforts, recent conversations about a just and durable peace in Ukraine held in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, and long-term security arrangements between the two countries.”
“The Secretary reiterated the United States’ staunch and ongoing support of Ukraine’s defense against Russia’s aggression and reaffirmed continued support of a strong Ukrainian military and accountable defense institutions,” officials added.
Russia invaded Ukraine on February 24, 2022, launching the largest military campaign in Europe since World War II.
Monday is day 528 of Russia’s war on Ukraine.
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Source: state.gov, The Guardian, Lockheed Martin