In his first foreign visit, Ukraine’s Commander-in-Chief meets US Joint Chiefs of Staff chairman in Poland

General Valerii Zaluzhnyi, Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, has met General Mark Milley, Chairman of the US Joint Chiefs of Staff, in Poland.

Source: General Staff of the Armed Force of Ukraine, Associated Press

Quote from Zaluzhnyi: "Today, I had my first personal meeting with General Mark Milley, chairman of the US Joint Chiefs of Staff, in Poland.

I have thanked General Milley for the unwavering support and assistance provided by the United States and its allies to Ukraine.

I have outlined the urgent needs of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, the meeting of which will accelerate our [Ukraine's – ed.] victory."

Details: It was not only the first meeting between Zaluzhnyi and Milley, but also the first foreign visit of the Ukrainian General since the beginning of Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022.

On Tuesday, the top American military officer, US Army General Mark Milley, visited a place near the Ukrainian-Polish border and spoke with his Ukrainian counterpart in person for the first time. The place of the meeting was not disclosed.

The meeting underscored the growing ties between the two militaries and came at a critical time as Russia's war with Ukraine approaches the one-year mark, AP writes.

Milley and Zaluzhnyi's meeting lasted for a few hours. Before that, the two military leaders often talked about Ukraine's needs and the state of the war over the past year, but they had never met before. 

Milley’s spokesman, Army Col. Dave Butler, told two reporters travelling with the Chairman that the two generals felt it was important to meet in person. The reporters did not accompany Milley to the meeting and, under conditions set by the military, agreed to not identify the military base in southeastern Poland where they were located.

Quote from Bulter: "These guys [Milley and Zaluzhyi – ed.] have been talking on a very regular basis for about a year now, and they’ve gotten to know each other," Butler said. "They’ve talked in detail about the defence that Ukraine is trying to do against Russia’s aggression. And it’s important — when you have two military professionals looking each other in the eye and talking about very, very important topics, there’s a difference."

Details: Butler said there had been some hope that Zaluzhnyi would travel to Brussels for a meeting of NATO and other defence chiefs this week, but when it became clear on Monday that it would not happen, they quickly decided to meet in Poland, near the border.

While a number of U.S. civilian leaders have gone into Ukraine, the Biden administration has clarified that no uniformed military service members will go into Ukraine besides those connected to the embassy in Kyiv. 

Butler said only a small group — Milley and six of his senior staff members — travelled by car to the meeting.

The spokesman said that the meeting would allow Milley to relay Zaluzhnyi’s concerns and information to the other military leaders during the NATO chiefs’ meeting.

According to Bulter, Milley will be able to "describe the tactical and operational conditions on the battlefield and what the military needs are for that", and the way he [Milley – ed.] does that is one by understanding it himself but by also by how Zaluzhny understands it. 

Milley also will be able to describe the new training of Ukrainian forces that the U.S. is doing at the Grafenwoehr training area in Germany. Milley, who got his first look at the new, so-called combined arms instruction during a nearly two-hour visit there on Monday, has said it will better prepare Ukrainian troops to launch an offensive or counter any surge in Russian attacks.

Milley and Zaluzhnyi’s meeting kicks off a series of high-level gatherings of military and defence leaders this week.

Milley and other chiefs of defence will meet in Brussels on Wednesday and Thursday, and then the so-called Ukraine Contact Group will gather at Ramstein Air Base in Germany on Thursday and Friday. That group consists of about 50 top defence officials, including Defence Secretary Lloyd Austin, and they work to coordinate military contributions to Ukraine.

AP also states that the meeting comes as the international community ramps up the military assistance to Ukraine, including expanded training of Ukrainian troops by the U.S. and the provision of a Patriot missile battery, tanks and increased air defence and other weapons systems by the U.S. and a coalition of European and other nations.

"It also marks a key time in the war. Ukraine’s troops face fierce fighting in the eastern Donetsk province, where Russian forces — supplemented by thousands of private Wagner Group contractors — seek to turn the tide after a series of battlefield setbacks in recent months," AP adds.

Background: On 16 January, American General Mark Milley visited a training ground in Germany, where Ukrainian servicemen began training the day before. More than 600 Ukrainian troops began the expanded training program at the camp just a day before Milley arrived.

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