U.S. Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin welcomed the liberation of Lyman, Donetsk region, which was a key bastion of Russian occupiers in eastern Ukraine, Deutsche Welle said on Sunday.

He told reporters at a press conference in Hawaii on Saturday that the Estuary was located on supply lines that the Russian Federation used to transfer its troops and equipment. "Without those routes, it will be more difficult," Austin said.

Meanwhile, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken spoke by phone with his Ukrainian counterpart Dmytro Kuleba and said that the USA will continue to support Ukraine's efforts to regain control over its territory, strengthening its position militarily and diplomatically.

In turn, NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg noted that Ukraine's liberation of the territory declared annexed by Russian President Vladimir Putin shows Ukraine's ability to fight back against Russian troops. "We have seen that they have been able to take a new town, Lyman, and that demonstrates that the Ukrainians are making progress, are able to push back the Russian forces because of the courage, because of their bravery, their skills, but of course also because of the advanced weapons that the United States and other allies are providing," Stoltenberg said.

According to the NATO Secretary General, the best way to resist the annexation of the occupied regions of Ukraine by the Russian Federation is to continue to support the Ukrainian government.

Asked about Ukraine's application for accelerated membership in the Western defense alliance, Stoltenberg said "any decision on membership has to be taken by consensus all 30 allies have to agree to make such a decision."