Members of the Ukrainian delegation discussed the needs of the Defense Forces and joint production of weapons during a meeting with U.S. Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin in Washington.

As reported by the Presidential Office, the meeting was attended by Head of the Office of the President Andriy Yermak, Minister of Defense Rustem Umerov, Deputy Minister of Defense Oleksandr Balanutsa, Deputy Chief of the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine Volodymyr Horbatiuk and Chief of the Main Logistics Department of the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine Mykola Shevtsov.

Yermak and Umerov spoke about the situation on the battlefield, the need of the Defense Forces for weapons and equipment, and the recent shelling of the energy system by the aggressor state. During this week, Russia fired more than 400 missiles of various types and drones at Ukraine. The Ukrainian side noted that Ukraine needs to strengthen its air defense in order to protect people and critical infrastructure.

The head of the President's Office noted it is extremely important for our state to receive weapons from the already announced defense packages as soon as possible.

During the meeting, they also discussed the training of Ukrainian soldiers and joint production of weapons.

Yermak said it is critical for our country to receive weapons from the already announced defense packages as soon as possible.

During the meeting, they also discussed the training of Ukrainian soldiers and joint production of weapons.

Umerov noted Austin's personal contribution to the work of the Ukraine Defense Contact Group.

Earlier, the U.S. publication, Politico, stated that the Ukrainian delegation intends to present to the administration of U.S. President Joseph Biden a list of targets that Kyiv's military can hit on the territory of the Russian Federation if Biden lifts restrictions on the use of American weapons. According to the publication, Ukraine intends to use this list as a last-ditch attempt to convince Washington to lift restrictions on the use of American weapons on the Russian territory. Ukraine has previously provided the United States with some of its potential targets in Russia, but this list is expected to be more individual.

The United States has for months said lifting the restrictions would have no strategic impact in a war because Russia has moved its most important targets, including aircraft, away from the border and out of reach. But Ukraine has identified several important targets it could reach with U.S.-supplied missiles.

At a briefing with reporters on Monday, National Security Council spokesman John Kirby said there was "no change" in U.S. policy on the restrictions. "This is not a new desire by President Zelenskyy by any stretch. But as I've said many, many times, we'll keep the conversations with the Ukrainians going, but we're going to keep them private," he said.