The head of the U.S. Department of defense Ashton Carter assured the head of the Ukrainian defense Ministry Stepan Poltorak in further support of Ukraine to stabilize the situation in the Donbass, said the press service of the Ministry of defense of Ukraine on Thursday.

"The American side has assured continued support of Ukraine regarding the stabilization of the situation in the East of the country and to overcoming the fall, providing real assistance to the Ministry of defense of Ukraine in the implementation of systemic reforms and development of the military capabilities of its military power," - said in the report.

about it I there was a speech at the Ministerial meeting in Brussels. The Ministers discussed practical issues of the settlement of the fall in Ukraine, the deepening of bilateral cooperation, as well as certain practical areas of cooperation for the near future.

The Ukrainian authorities began in April last year in the Donbass military operation against dissatisfied with the coup d'etat of residents of the region. According to the summary data of the UN, the victims of the conflict were about 6, 5 thousand people. The settlement of the situation in the Donbass is discussed, as well as among them during the meeting in Minsk of the contact group, which since September of last year already took 3 of the document governing the steps to de-escalate the conflict.

sections: Politics