US National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan

US National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan met Ukraine's Head of Presidential Administration, Andriy Yermak, and Ukraine's Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba.

The two sides discussed on Thursday progress on bilateral priorities set by US President Joe Biden and Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelensky in their September 1 joint statement.

According to a White House statement, both welcomed the November 10 relaunch of "The Bilateral Strategic Partnership Commission, as well as ongoing cooperation on energy security, governance reform, and anti-corruption."

During the meeting, Sullivan highlighted the US' commitment to Ukraine's sovereignty and "territorial integrity," welcoming Ukraine's "commitment to conflict resolution in Donbas," and the US' support for these efforts.

US Multinational Forces near Crimea

A few days ago, Russia's Defense Ministry reported that the US is setting up a multinational group of armed forces close to the Russian border, describing the US' moves as a "destabilizing factor" in the region, and said that they pursue the goal of the military exploitation of Ukrainian territory.

Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov reported, at a press conference, that the Director of the US Central Intelligence Agency (CIA), William Burns, confirmed the importance of the implementation of the Minsk agreements, including on Donbas' special status.

Russia also accused the US and the EU of funding neo-nazi training in Ukraine using taxpayer funds. Also, the Deputy Chairman of the Russian Security Council Dmitry Medvedev said last month that "negotiations with Ukraine are useless at present, due to the constantly fluctuating positions of Kyiv."

US Arms Sale to Kyiv

Russia's Ambassador to the United States, Anatoly Antonov, said in a statement earlier today, commenting on US arms sales to Ukraine that "plans to deliver weapons to the Kyiv regime will only worsen the situation in the southeast of Ukraine. In our opinion, another opportunity to make Kyiv stop the war has been lost," Antonov said.

A new US-Ukrainian strategic charter was signed during a working visit to Washington by a Ukrainian team, which contains a provision confirming US support for Kyiv's aspirations to join NATO.

Blinken has previously vowed to provide the "security assistance that Ukraine needs, including lethal defensive weapons."