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U.S. President Joe Biden and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky on Thursday signed a 10-year bilateral security agreement aimed at strengthening Ukraine’s defense against Russian aggressors and moving Ukraine closer to joining NATO.
Officials said the agreement, signed on the sidelines of a Group of Seven summit in Italy, was intended to commit a future U.S. administration to support Ukraine even if former President Donald Trump wins November’s election.
“Our goal is to strengthen Ukraine’s credible defense and deterrence capabilities over the long term,” Biden said at a joint news conference with Zelenskiy.
He said the G7’s message to Russian President Vladimir Putin was “you can’t wait for us to end the crisis. You can’t divide us.” The G7 also agreed to a $50 billion loan to Ukraine backed by profits from frozen Russian assets.
The text of the agreement says the U.S.-Ukraine security agreement is the framework of a long-term effort to help Ukraine develop its outdated armed forces and serve as a step towards Ukraine’s eventual membership in NATO.
Ukraine’s president called the agreement historic and said it was a bridge to Ukraine’s eventual membership in NATO. “This is an agreement on security and therefore on the protection of human life,” he said.
Zelensky has long sought to join NATO, a step the alliance has yet to take. Under NATO’s Article 5, any attack on one of its 32 members is considered an attack on all.
The agreement states that if Ukraine is attacked or threatened with armed force, senior U.S. and Ukrainian officials will meet within 24 hours to discuss responses and determine what additional defense requirements Ukraine will need.
Under the agreement, the United States reiterated its support for Ukraine in defending its sovereignty and territorial integrity as Russia renewed its offensive on the eastern front of Ukraine.
It also outlines plans to develop Ukraine’s own defense industry and expand its military.
The text says Ukraine needs to have a “strong” military and continue to invest in its defense industrial base in accordance with NATO standards.
It will enable the two countries to share BroadCast Unitedligence, hold training and military education programs, and conduct joint military and exercises.
The future of the deal remains unclear as Trump leads Biden in multiple election polls.
Trump has expressed skepticism about the ongoing war in Ukraine and has said he would end the conflict on his first day in office. He has also urged Europe to shoulder more of the burden of supporting Kiev.
Biden recently changed policy from not allowing Ukraine to use U.S. weapons to attack inside Russia, allowing Kiev to launch long-range U.S. missiles at Russian targets near Ukraine’s troubled city of Kharkiv.
Biden made clear at a news conference that he would not allow Ukraine to expand its use of U.S. missiles within Russian territory.
“It makes a lot of sense that Ukraine would have the ability to strike or engage terrorists that come across our border. As for long-range weapons … our position on that has not changed,” Biden said.
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