KROPIVNYTSKY, Aug 21 – Ukraine and the U.S. will strengthen military cooperation after the visit U.S. Defense Secretary James Mattis later this week, President Petro Poroshenko said Monday.

"To mark the 26th anniversary of Independence of Ukraine, the defense ministers of our partner countries, including the U.S. Secretary of Defense, will arrive in Kyiv. James Mattis is a great friend of Ukraine and I am sure that these negotiations will be extremely important for strengthening the defense capability of our state," Poroshenko said during a working visit to the Kirovohrad region on Monday.

The president also recalled that in June of this year, his visit to Washington took place, where important talks were held with U.S. President Donald Trump, as well as key U.S. ministers.