MOSCOW, August 30. /TASS/. Ukrainian Defense Minister Rustem Umerov together with Ukrainian Presidential Office Head Andrey Yermak met with US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin during a visit to the United States, the press service of the Ukrainian presidential office said.

Earlier it was reported that Umerov and Yermak were on their way to the United States, where they intended to continue discussing the problems of Ukrainian air defense.

"The Ukrainian delegation headed by First Deputy Prime Minister Yulia Sviridenko has begun its visit to Washington. The first meeting was held with US Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin <...>. Andrey Yermak and Rustem Umerov briefed him on the situation on the battlefield," the office said in a statement published on its website. They also spoke about the needs of the Ukrainian armed forces in terms of weapons and equipment.

Earlier, Umerov reported that at a meeting with colleagues from European Union countries in Brussels, he advocated the participation of European countries in providing air defense for western Ukraine.