WASHINGTON (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 04th February, 2022) The United States welcomes defense cooperation between Turkey and Ukraine, State Department spokesman Ned price said on Thursday.
Earlier in the day, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan met with his Ukrainian counterpart, Volodymyr Zelenskyy, in Kiev. The sides inked a deal that provides for significant expansion of production of Bayraktar drones in Ukraine, Zelenskyy said. Ukraine uses Turkish-made Bayraktar unmanned attack vehicles in its military operation against the breakaway Russian-speaking region of Donbas.
"We know that President Erdogan is visiting Kiev and that defense cooperation between the NATO ally, Turkey, and Ukraine ... we think that it bolsters regional stability and Ukraine's ability to defend itself," Price told a briefing.
Tensions over Ukraine escalated in recent months as Kiev and the West have accused Russia of preparing an invasion, citing a troop buildup near the common border. Moscow says it has no intention of attacking anyone, pointing to NATO's military activities in Eastern Europe as a threat to national security.
