During a meeting with US Secretary of State Antony Blinken, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy stressed the critical importance of delivering weapons to the battlefield as soon as possible. The BBC reports, and the President's press service also posted a video of the meeting.
The president said that the biggest deficit is air defence, and that Kharkiv, in particular, needs more air defence systems. Two Patriot systems are needed to protect the Kharkiv Region, he added.
The Ukrainian President noted that Ukrainian soldiers are currently going through a difficult period, especially in the east of the country.
"Thank you for coming for Ukraine, especially these days. It's a difficult time for Ukraine, especially for the east of our country, for the defenders," Zelenskyy said during his meeting with Blinken.
Blinken conveyed President Biden's sincere greetings and paid tribute to Ukraine's extraordinary resilience and Zelenskyy's "strength and leadership". He acknowledged that it was a "challenging time" but that US assistance was "on the way" and would help on the battlefield, he said.
"We, like many of Ukraine's partners, are confident that you will achieve victory on the battlefield. It is also very important that over time, Ukraine will stand on its own two feet in terms of democracy and the economy will be free and prosperous," the secretary of state added, calling it the "best response" to the Russian leader.
In addition to meetings with senior Ukrainian officials, the Secretary of State is scheduled to speak at Kyiv Polytechnic University. He is expected to speak about how "the United States, other Allies and partners will help Ukraine ultimately achieve the goal of a free, prosperous and secure democracy - fully integrated into Europe and the Transatlantic Alliance".