KYIV, Nov. 7 – The U.S. assured Ukraine on Thursday that it will continue supporting its military through supplies of hardware, training and holding joint exercises, the U.S. Department of Defense said in statement.

Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for Russia, Ukraine and Eurasia Laura K. Cooper met Ukrainian Deputy Defense Minister Alina Frolova on Thursday for a round of bilateral defense consultations.

“The U.S. stands firmly in support of Ukraine's sovereignty, independence and territorial integrity,” the Department of Defense said. “DOD demonstrates this commitment through the Bilateral Defense Consultations, which brings together civilian and military personnel.”

The U.S. military support is essential for Ukraine’s ability to stop Russia-backed separatist forces in Donetsk and Luhansk.

However, this support has been recently questioned after a whistleblower in Washington had reported that President Trump’s administration had threatened to suspend military aid to Ukraine unless Kyiv starts investigation into Joe Biden’s son’s involvement with a Ukrainian energy company. The release of information had led to Trump’s impeachment inquiry.

“The U.S. and Ukraine are committed to a strong, enduring defense partnership,” a U.S. defense official said.

The Defense Department and Ukraine's defense ministry conduct annual bilateral defense consultations to reaffirm the strategic defense partnership and set priorities for the bilateral defense partnership.

In 2016, the U.S. and Ukraine agreed to a 5-year concept of partnership that focuses on developing a robust and capable Ukrainian military and reforming the Ukrainian defense sector to be in line with NATO standards and principles.

Since 2014, the U.S. has provided more than $1.6 billion in security assistance to help Ukraine defend its territorial integrity, deter further Russian aggression, and progress toward NATO interoperability.

Alongside key NATO allies, the U.S. is training and advising Ukrainian security forces in western Ukraine through the Joint Multinational Training Group-Ukraine to help improve Ukraine's internal defense capabilities and develop an institutional training capacity in accordance with NATO standards.

“Ukraine has made significant strides on defense reform,” the defense official said. “Its 2018 adoption of a national security law provides a legislative framework for aligning its national security architecture with Euro-Atlantic principles,” the official said.

The U.S. and Ukraine co-host two annual military exercises: Exercise Rapid Trident, an annual, multinational exercise focused on situational training and field training, and Exercise Sea Breeze, a multinational maritime exercise held in the Black Sea to strengthen regional maritime security. (tl/ez)