Ukraine's Defense Minister Stepan Poltorak and newly appointed U.S. Ambassador to Ukraine Marie Yovanovitch during a meeting on Tuesday discussed army reforms and U.S. support.

"The U.S. always keeps its promises and always is on the side of democracy. The assistance we receive from the U.S. government, political assistance and military assistance, is important and needed by Armed Forces of Ukraine," Poltorak told Yovanovitch, the Defense Ministry's press service said.

Poltorak informed the ambassador about army reforms, noting that the restructuring of the Armed Forces of Ukraine is proceeding apace based on NATO standards.

"There is now a clear restructuring program with the aim of reaching full compatibility with NATO alliance standards by 2020," he said.

The defense minister informed Yovanovitch about the situation in Donbas, noting that the threat of a full-scale Russian invasion will remain in the future.

In turn, Yovanovitch said she, like her predecessor [former U.S. Ambassador to Ukraine] Geoffrey Pyatt, would work to deepen cooperation between Ukraine and the United States.

"The U.S. respects its partnership with Ukraine and how it values cooperation with the United States," the ambassador said.