Ukraine’s foreign minister to hold high-level talks with counterparts in US
US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and his Ukrainian counterpart, Pavlo Klimkin, will meet in Washington today to discuss the US security commitment to the Kiev.
Although a ceasefire between Ukraine’s military and pro-Russian rebels in eastern Ukraine has been in place since 2015—known as the Minsk Protocols—both sides have engaged in regular exchanges of shelling and rifle fire. Both the US and Russia continue to funnel weapons into the country. In March, the US sold 210 Javelin antitank missiles and 37 rocket launchers to pro-government forces. Russia has reportedly provided separatist forces with 120mm mortars, a heavy weapon that’s illegal under international law.
Secretary Pompeo and Minister Klimkin will likely discuss another weapons deal as a stronger affirmation of the US security commitment to the Ukrainian government, even as Vladimir Putin calls on the Ukrainian government to negotiate with the rebels in its Eastern territory. To reassure Ukraine that the US will not allow its sovereignty to be negotiated, an announcement of another weapons deal, or at least a strong statement of US support for Kiev, is expected.
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