Air defense weapons Washington and Kiev are studying the priorities of Western support for Ukraine

Including air and artillery defense weapons.

Washington and Kyiv examine priorities for Western support to Ukraine

U.S. Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin

together with his Ukrainian counterpart Oleksiy Reznikov, discussed the Defense Contact Group's priorities for Ukraine at its scheduled meeting next week in Brussels.

Pat Ryder, a spokesperson for the Pentagon, said in a statement that

Austin had a telephone conversation with Reznikov on Saturday about the priorities of the Defense Liaison Group on Ukraine, "including the provision of air defence and artillery weapons."

The Ministers also discussed

the importance of delivering the capabilities pledged by the Defence Liaison Group on Ukraine last month, to the battlefield as soon as possible , according to the statement.

Reznikov  gave an update on field developments in Ukraine, the statement continued.

Joe Biden, US President, declared during a State of

• the Union address to Congress earlier this week that

• the Russian operation in Ukraine is a test of the times

• for the United States and the entire world, stressing that

• his country will provide support to Ukraine as much as necessary.

Moscow had previously warned the United States

and Western States that Ukraine's support for weapons would further destroy them and would not help launch negotiations that would end hostilities.

Moscow asserted on more than one occasion that military operations in Donbass would not cease until all of its objectives had been achieved.

Hungary:

We seek ceasefire and start peace negotiations between Russia and Ukraine

Hungary's Foreign Minister, Peter Siyarto

reported that Hungary was seeking a ceasefire in Ukraine and the start of negotiations between Moscow and Kyiv to achieve peace.

Siyarto added to Hungarian radio Kossuth

• Peace is the only guarantee for protecting innocent lives

• and this will be achieved only through a ceasefire

• so Hungary is seeking an immediate truce between Moscow

and Kyiv

• and the beginning of discussions

• saying that the worst-case scenario is that

• the conflict might worsen as a result of the events in Ukraine.

Siarto stressed that the most important goal at this stage was to achieve peace and protect the lives of innocent people.

The Hungarian Government has repeatedly stated that

the United States should participate in the peace negotiations between Russia and Ukraine, being Ukraine's primary supporter of arms in this conflict.

Hungary has repeatedly called for the maintenance of open channels of communication with Rosa to ensure a peaceful settlement.

In recent years, the world has witnessed with concern

the escalation of :

• tensions between Russia and Ukraine.

• The conflict in eastern Ukraine, which began in 2014

• resulted in thousands of casualties

and disrupted the lives of millions of people in the region.

The situation also had wider geopolitical implications, as the conflict contributed to increased tensions between Russia and the West.

However

in a major development

countries have recently taken steps towards resolving their differences.

In January 2023, the leaders of Russia

and Ukraine announced that they had agreed to begin peace negotiations.

The negotiations, brokered by France and Germany, aim at finding a lasting solution to the conflict in eastern Ukraine and improving relations between the two countries.

The start of these negotiations has been met with a combination of

• hope and scepticism. One way people view it is that

• as a positive sign that the two sides are finally meeting to

• try to find a solution to their differences.

On the other hand

there are also concerns that negotiations may not lead to lasting peace, and that the fundamental issues that caused the conflict will continue to worsen.

Despite these concerns

• it is clear that the commencement of

• peace negotiations represents an important opportunity

• for both Russia and Ukraine. For Ukraine

negotiations provide an opportunity to end the conflict in

the country's east and restore stability to the region. For Russia, negotiations provide an opportunity to improve relations with Ukraine and the West, and to reduce tensions in the region.

The negotiations themselves are expected to be complex and difficult.

Numerous difficulties need to be resolved.

including the status of the Donbass region, Crimea's return to Ukrainian control and the establishment of a demilitarized zone in eastern Ukraine. However, the fact that the two sides have come together to start negotiations is a positive step in itself.

In conclusion

• the commencement of peace negotiations between Russia

• and Ukraine represents an important development in

• the ongoing conflict between the two countries.

While many challenges lie ahead, the fact that

the two sides have come together to try to

find a solution is a positive sign and offers hope that lasting peace can be achieved.

The world will be watching closely as the negotiations progress, and it is hoped that both sides will be able to reach a mutually acceptable agreement that will end the conflict and improve relations between Russia and Ukraine.