KIEV, July 29 (Xinhua) -- Ukraine is working on a contract for the purchase of a large batch of lethal weapons from the United States, which can be signed this year, said Ukrainian Ambassador to the United States Valeriy Chaly on Monday.
"We expect to implement a large project on lethal defensive weapons purchase. It was necessary to take important steps to do it, for example, to open the possibility for the Ministry of Defense to do direct foreign arms purchases, primarily from the United States," Chaly said in an interview with Ukrinform news agency.
"I say 'primarily' because 92 percent of the military assistance that Ukraine received in four years came from the United States. I will emphasize 92 percent," said the Ukrainian diplomat.
Chaly did not specify the types of weapons but stressed that such a deal became possible thanks to the foreign partners placing their trust in Ukraine as well as the changes in Ukrainian legislation.
The diplomat also stressed that the United States is a strategic partner of Ukraine in the defense and security field, and that the cooperation between the two countries exists independently of the politics of Ukraine and the United States.
The United States has provided a total of more than 1.3 billion U.S. dollars for security assistance to Ukraine since the beginning of the conflict in eastern Ukraine in 2014, according to U.S. Department of Defense spokesman Eric Pahon.
