US Defense Secretary James Mattis is set to embark on a foreign tour this week that will take him to Jordan, Turkey and Ukraine, becoming the first Pentagon chief to visit Kiev in a decade.
Mattis is due to meet with Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko and Defense Minister Stepan Poltorak on Ukraine’s independence day next Thursday, as Washington is considering plans to supply Ukraine with lethal weapons amid Kiev’s persisting conflict with pro-Russian forces in east of the country, Military.com reported citing a Pentagon statement on Friday.
“During these engagements, the secretary will reassure our Ukrainian partners that the US remains firmly committed to the goal of restoring Ukraine’s sovereignty and territorial integrity, as well as strengthening the strategic defense partnership between our two countries,” added the statement.
The US says it has supplied the Ukrainian military with non-lethal equipment, including night-vision…