Ukrainian president, senior NATO official meet on support for Kiev

Kiev, March 22 (IANS) Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and Robert Bauer, chair of the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation (NATO) Military Committee, discussed support for Kiev during a bilateral meeting, the presidential press service reported.

Zelensky on Thursday thanked Bauer for his visit, describing it as a strong signal of support for Ukraine, Xinhua news agency reported.

He informed Bauer about Ukraine's priority defence needs, in particular the necessity for additional air defence systems.

Zelensky and Bauer discussed opportunities to strengthen the alliance's coordination role in supporting Ukraine, in particular in enhancing its defence capabilities.

Besides, the parties exchanged their views on Ukraine's future military potential and its movement toward NATO standards.

Ukraine's expectations from the NATO summit, which is set to take place in Washington, the US, in July, was another topic of the talks.

Bauer arrived in Kiev for his first visit since the start of the full-scale war between Russia and Ukraine in February 2022.

Earlier on Thursday, Bauer participated in the 16th annual Kyiv Security Forum, according to local media reports.