On the sidelines of the G7 Summit in Italy on Thursday, the US and Ukraine signed a 10-year bilateral security agreement, which Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelenskyy described as an “agreement on security, and thus on the protection of human life,” as reported by CNN.
“We have signed the strongest agreement within Ukraine and the US since our independence,” Zelenskyy stated during a joint press conference with US President Joe Biden.
The G7 Summit, hosted by Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, is taking place on June 13 and 14, with world leaders in attendance. Zelenskyy hailed the signing of the bilateral security pact as a “truly historic day,” highlighting its importance in countering what he called a “real global threat” from Russia.
“This is an agreement on security and thus on the protection of human life. This is an agreement on cooperation and thus on how our nations will become stronger. This is an agreement on steps to guarantee sustainable peace and therefore it benefits everyone in the world,” the Ukrainian President added.
According to CNN, the deal outlines a long-term security relationship between the US and Ukraine, which could potentially be reversed by future US administrations. The agreement, resulting from months of negotiations, commits the US to ongoing training of Ukraine’s armed forces, enhanced cooperation in weapons and military equipment production, continued military assistance, and greater intelligence sharing.
President Joe Biden reaffirmed the US’s strong support for Ukraine on Thursday. “Russia’s conflict has been a ‘test for the world,'” Biden remarked after signing the long-term security agreement with Zelenskyy. He posed the question, “Would we stand with Ukraine?… Would we stand for sovereignty, freedom, and against tyranny?” Biden continued, “The United States, the G7 and countries around the world have consistently answered that question by saying yes we will. We will say it again … we’re going to stand with Ukraine.”
Biden also mentioned that US support for Ukraine’s air defence systems would continue. “We have acquired commitment from five countries, so far, for Patriot batteries and other air defence systems — as well as we’ve let it be known for those countries that are expecting, from us, air defence systems in the future, that they’re going to have to wait. Everything we have is going to go to Ukraine until their needs are met. And then we will make good on the commitments we made to other countries,” Biden stated.
The US-built Patriot air defence system, one of the most sophisticated contributions to Ukraine’s military efforts against Russia, is a key part of this support. Meanwhile, former President Donald Trump, the presumptive Republican presidential nominee, has not explicitly stated if he would continue supporting Ukraine if he wins in November, though he has claimed he would negotiate a quick end to the Russia-Ukraine war without detailing how.
National Security Council spokesperson John Kirby said on Tuesday that the US’s commitment to Ukraine “will continue to be right up front and clear” at the G7, adding that Washington “will take bold steps to show Putin that time is not on his side and that he cannot outlast us, as we support Ukraine to fight for freedom.”
This agreement follows a period of strained US-Ukrainian relations, which began to improve after a congressional fight over additional US funding for Ukraine. Biden personally apologized to Zelenskyy for this during a meeting in Paris last week.