Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and US Defense Department chief Lloyd Austin have met on the margins of the Shangri-La Dialogue Asian security summit in Singapore.
Following the meeting, Zelenskyy said that he and the Pentagon chief discussed Kyiv’s defense needs, strengthening of Ukrainian air defense, deliveries of F-16 fighter jets, as well as the preparation of a bilateral security agreement.
Separately, the Ukrainian leader thanked US President Joe Biden for authorization to attack targets in Russia. Zelenskyy described the purpose of the strikes as countering Russian troops who are trying to expand the war zone.
U.S. media reported in late May that Biden had tacitly lifted the ban on Ukraine’s use of U.S. weapons for strikes against Russia. Later, the Pentagon confirmed that Kiev could use US weapons in a counter-battery fight in Kharkiv Region. At the same time, the use of long-range ATACMS missiles remains prohibited for the time being.
