Russia-Ukraine war: US, Ukraine military leaders meet in Poland over 'urgent needs'

The top US and Ukrainian military officers held a meeting in Poland this week for talks on Ukraine’s military requirements. The talks come as the war is nearing its 11th month.

US General Mark Milley, the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, met with his Ukrainian counterpart, General Valerii Zaluzhnyi in southwestern Poland near the Ukrainian border on Tuesday. Zaluzhnyi said he detailed the “urgent needs” of the Ukrainian forces with Milley during their meeting, which is also the first in-person meeting between the two military leaders.

Milley’s spokesman, Colonel Dave Butler, said the two leaders felt that it was important to have an in-person meeting.

“These guys have been talking on a very regular basis for about a year now and they’ve gotten to know each other,” said Butler. “They’ve talked in detail about the defense 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.”

Butler said that there was some hope that Zaluznyi would travel to Brussels this week for a meeting between NATO and other defense chiefs. However, Butler said that Milley and Zaluzhnyi quickly decided to meet in Poland near the border instead when it would be unlikely to happen.

The meeting between Milley and Zaluzhnyi also comes as the international community is stepping up its military support for Ukraine, such as the expanded training of Ukrainian troops in the United States and provisions of the Patriot missile defense systems and tanks, among other weapons systems. The meeting also comes at a time when intense fighting in eastern Ukraine is still going on, as Russian forces are bolstered by members of the Wagner mercenary group in an effort to make territorial advances.

On Wednesday, Polish President Andrzej Duda expressed fears that Russia was preparing a new offensive in Ukraine in a matter of months, stressing the need to provide more military support to Kyiv with modern tanks and missiles.

Speaking at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Duda said that Moscow remains “very strong” and that they may be gearing up for a new offensive on Ukraine in the coming months.