Mr. Kuchma said that his position on strategic partnership with the U.S. remained unchanged, the presidential press service reported. The sides also discussed international problems, in particular, the situations in Iraq and Afghanistan and the establishment of democracy in these countries.
According to Mr. Rumsfeld, the democratization of Iraq and Afghanistan will take a long time.
Donald Rumsfeld pointed out the important role the Ukrainian peacekeepers are playing in Iraq. Ukrainians are doing their job well, he noted.
Moreover, the sides considered Ukraine's cooperation with the European Union and NATO. The Ukrainian leader confirmed that his country aimed at the European and Euro-Atlantic integration.
The terms of withdrawal of Ukrainian peacekeepers from Iraq will depend on the developments in this country and the readiness of the Iraqi power structures to take control of the situation, Ukrainian Defense Minister Yevgeny Marchuk said following his meeting with the U.S. counterpart earlier on Friday.
After this meeting Donald Rumsfeld gave a press conference. He said that he saw no conflict between Moscow-Kiev rapprochement and Ukraine's policy toward the European and Euro-Atlantic integration.
He stressed that Ukraine has the right to maintain relations with Russia, as well as the U.S. does.
