Army Gen. Mark Milley, chair of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, met the head of Ukraine's armed forces in person for the first time Tuesday at an undisclosed military base in southeastern Poland near the border with Ukraine.
Joint Chiefs spokesman Army Col. Dave Butler said in a news release Milley and Gen. Valerii Zaluzhnyi "discussed the unprovoked and ongoing Russian invasion of Ukraine and exchanged perspectives and assessments." Butler said Milley "reaffirmed unwavering support for Ukraine's sovereignty and territorial integrity."
Zaluzhnyi tweeted Tuesday: "Extended my gratitude for the unwavering support & assistance provided by US & allies to Ukraine. Outlined the urgent needs of the #AFU meeting which will accelerate our Victory."
The meeting came nearly a month before the one-year anniversary of Russia's invasion, and as the U.S. and Western allies have pledged to supply more advanced weaponry to Ukraine's cause, including tanks, drones, and missile defense systems. The meeting was set up reportedly because Zaluzhnyi could not appear in Brussels this week in a gathering of NATO and other defense chiefs.
"These guys have been talking on a very regular basis for about a year now, and they've gotten to know each other," Butler said, according to The Associated Press. "They've talked in detail about the defense that Ukraine is trying to do against Russia's aggression. And it's important — when you have two military professionals looking each other in the eye and talking about very, very important topics, there's a difference."
The AP said reporters did not accompany Milley to the meeting and, under conditions set by the military, agreed to not identify the military base in Poland where they were located. Milley was accompanied by six senior staffers, and they traveled to the meeting by car.
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