U.S. Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin urged Russian leaders to stop the occupation of eastern Ukraine during his stop in Kiev.
Austin was in Ukraine on Tuesday, during his weeklong trip in Europe, to meet with Ukrainian Defense Minister Andriy Taran and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, where he reaffirmed the United States’s support for the nation.
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“We again call on Russia to end its occupation of Crimea, to stop perpetuating the war in Eastern Ukraine, to end its destabilizing activities in the Black Sea and along Ukraine’s borders,” Austin said during a press conference in Kiev alongside Taran, according to CNN.
Austin and Taran also spoke about the U.S.-Ukraine Strategic Defense Framework, which they signed in August. The agreement reaffirms their commitment to work for “the advancement of shared bilateral priorities to meet current and emerging security challenges, and it did the same for the U.S.’s condemnation of Russia’s aggression in eastern Ukraine.
Austin also urged Russia to “halt its persistent cyberattacks and other malign activities against the United States and our allies and partners.”
His overseas trip is designed to “reassure allies and partners of America’s commitment to their sovereignty in the face of Russian aggression,” according to the Pentagon.
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A day earlier, Austin met with Georgian Defense Minister Juansher Burchuladze in Tbilisi, Georgia, where they signed a memorandum that will continue the U.S.’s support for the Georgian defense forces through the next six years.
