A U.S. State Department official says former Georgian President Mikheil Saakashvili met with Assistant Secretary of State Victoria Nuland in Washington this week to discuss the Ukraine crisis.
Saakashvili, an adviser on reforms to Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko, said this week he is meeting with dozens of officials in Washington to advocate for U.S. arms supplies to Ukraine in its standoff with pro-Russian separatists.
In the February 24 meeting, Nuland "expressed our continued commitment to supporting the Ukrainian government’s efforts to root out corruption and promote economic development," the official told RFE/RL in emailed comments on February 26.
U.S. Senator Benjamin Cardin (Democrat-Maryland), who met with Saakashvili on February 25, told RFE/RL that he believes the former Georgian president’s visit to Washington has helped "underscore the importance of Ukraine in having the capacity to defend its borders."