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Ukrainian negotiator says his country is sure to get lethal weaponry from NATO

Defense cooperation agreements were signed during President Vladimir Zelensky’s recent visits to the United Kingdom and Turkey

KIEV, May 8. /TASS/. Ukraine will develop its military cooperation with the United States and other NATO members and can count on supplies of lethal weaponry from those countries, former Ukrainian President and head of Kiev’s delegation to the Trilateral Contact Group Leonid Kravchuk told the Ukraine 24 TV channel on Friday.

Commenting on US Secretary of State Antony Blinken’s visit to Kiev, Kravchuk said the US top diplomat "confirmed that <...> military-technical cooperation would unfold, and not only with the United States."

He added that defense cooperation agreements were signed during President Vladimir Zelensky’s recent visits to the United Kingdom and Turkey.

"The time when they refused to sell lethal weaponry to us are now gone," he said. "Now we know that all weapons, aircraft, anti-tank weapons can be bought and sold."

Issues of cooperation in security and defense were raised during US Secretary of State Antony Blinken’s meetings with Ukraine’s leadership on Thursday. However, the sides have not yet disclosed any details of those negotiations.

During his phone talk with Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmitry Kuleba in February, the US top diplomat said the new US administration was ready to provide lethal weaponry to Ukraine.

Military support to Ukraine

Earlier, the Pentagon said that the United States disbursed to the Ukrainian authorities more than $2 billion from 2014 within the framework of providing assistance and ensuring security and was determined to keep building up the potential of the Ukrainian armed forces further on.

The United States provided material and technical assistance to the Ukrainian military under the previous president, Donald Trump. Washington supplied weapons and delegated instructors to train military personnel. Ukraine received $350 million in military aid in 2017 and 2018, $250 million in 2019, and $300 million in 2020. The Trump administration approved the sale of lethal weapons to Kiev. Ukraine obtained Javelin anti-tank systems.

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