German Defense Minister Boris Pistorius arrived on his first official visit to Washington, during which he met with U.S. Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin, the Pentagon said.

As noted, during the meeting, the ministers promised to continue close cooperation in providing support to Ukraine.

"As Russia continues to direct this war of choice, I appreciate everything that Germany has done to strengthen Ukraine's capability. Your security assistance and training contributions for Ukraine's defenders have been invaluable, and we must keep pushing hard to help Ukraine succeed," the U.S. Secretary of Defense said.

During the conversation, Lloyd Austin also said "Ukraine is a 'key moment' in its fight for sovereignty, and he welcomed discussion with Pistorius on how the U.S. and Germany can meet the urgent challenges ahead."

"The U.S. has pledged to stand with Ukraine for as long as necessary to defend against Russia. Toward that end, the Biden administration has committed more than $40.5 billion in security assistance to Ukraine since Russia's invasion began in February 2022," the Pentagon said in a statement.

As for German support, it is noted that in May the country announced the provision of military assistance to Ukraine in the amount of EUR 2.7 billion, including dozens of Leopard tanks, air defense systems and armored personnel carriers.