KIEV, January 1. /TASS/. Ukraine and the United States are in talks over the possibility the military aid originally meant for Afghanistan might be redirected to Kiev, Ukraine’s ambassador to the United States, Oksana Makarova, said in an interview the Ukrainian service of Radio Liberty (recognized as a foreign agent in Russia), uploaded to its website on Saturday.

"We are actively working on this. The minister (Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmitry Kuleba) discussed this issue during his visit. An active discussion is going on," Makarova said, when asked if Kiev might count on military aid that had been meant for Afghanistan.

Makarova stressed the point at issue was not what Kiev might get in this particular case, but what the Ukrainian side finds necessary. She recalled that earlier Kiev and Washington had signed a five-year agreement enabling the two countries cooperate on a "higher strategic level."

Also, the ambassador said Ukraine would like the list of US aid expanded.

At the end of December 2021 US President Joe Biden signed the 2022 $770 billion defense budget. Ukraine will get $300 million. Another $150 million will be spent on "security cooperation with the Baltic countries.".