KIEV, Aug. 21 (Xinhua) -- Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko said Monday that his country attaches great importance to the upcoming visit of U.S. Secretary of Defense James Mattis to Kiev, where he would hold talks with Ukrainian authorities.
"I am confident that these negotiations will be extremely important for strengthening the defense capability of our state," Poroshenko told reporters during his visit to Kropyvnytsky town in central Ukraine.
According to the Ukrainian presidential administration, the Pentagon chief will travel to Kiev on Thursday to take part in Ukraine's Independence Day celebrations.
During the visit, Mattis is expected to attend a military parade in central Kiev and hold talks with Poroshenko and Ukrainian Defense Minister Stepan Poltorak.
Mattis is set to become the first U.S. secretary of defense to visit Ukraine in 10 years.
