US Defence secretary to visit Georgia next week

Lloyd Austin was sworn in as the 28th Secretary of Defense of the US on January 22, 2021. Photo: EPA.

Agenda.ge, 13 Oct 2021 - 11:24, Tbilisi,Georgia

US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin will visit Georgia, Romania, Ukraine and Brussels next week, Pentagon Spokesman John Kirby said at a briefing yesterday. 

Austin and his team will be preparing for a trip to Europe next week. They will stay in Georgia, Ukraine and Romania, and he (Austin) will also conclude this important visit with allies and partners in Brussels, where the meeting of NATO defense ministers will take place,” Kirby said.

He did not disclose further details of the visit such as exact dates. 

At a meeting with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky at the end of August, Austin said that the US would provide the country with a new $60 million military aid package, as well as sign an agreement on reforms necessary for Ukraine to join NATO.