Prime Minister of Ukraine Denys Shmyhal held a meeting with U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken during his visit to Ukraine.

"We stand ready to comprehensively step up bilateral political and sectoral dialogue. I am convinced that the common interests of Ukraine and the United States regarding the whole scope of relations are a solid foundation for the development of cooperation and strategic partnership in political and security, defense, trade and economic, energy, technological and other spheres," Denys Shmyhal noted.

In the course of the meeting, the Prime Minister of Ukraine and the U.S. Secretary of State tackled a wide range of issues of bilateral relations with regard to the security situation, implementation of reforms and cooperation with the International Monetary Fund (IMF).

Denys Shmyhal stressed that Ukraine is unswervingly committed to the course of reforms, in particular fighting against corruption and enforcing the rule of law.

"Ensuring the effective operation of anti-corruption institutions, the integrity and independence of the judiciary and the prosecutor's office are part of our agenda both in the context of Euro-Atlantic integration and a criterion for continuing cooperation with the IMF and the World Bank," the Prime Minister underlined.

During the meeting, the  Head of Government informed the U.S. Secretary of State about the adoption of a law that unblocked the process of privatization of large state-owned enterprises in Ukraine and called on the United States to participate in privatization auctions.

Denys Shmyhal thanked the American side for helping to strengthen Ukraine's defense capabilities and for the provision of military and technical support.

"We highly appreciate the consistent stance of the United States on the issue of non-acceptance and immediate cessation of aggressive actions by the Russian Federation in the temporarily occupied territories and along the state border with Ukraine," the Prime Minister stressed.

The PM of Ukraine also thanked Antony Blinken for his position on the construction of Nord Stream 2 and for understanding the consequences of the completion of the project for Ukraine and Central European countries.

"A long-term mechanism to guarantee the non-use of Nord Stream 2 as an energy weapon is to completely block the possibility of its completion and commissioning," Denys Shmyhal stressed.

In turn, U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken emphasized that the United States will continue to support Ukraine, its territorial integrity and inviolability.