Biden and Zelenskyy Agree to Long-Term Security Deal at G7 Summit

In PUGLIA, Italy, President Joe Biden and his Ukrainian counterpart, Volodymyr Zelenskyy, signed a 10-year bilateral security agreement on June 13. This signifies the ongoing U.S. commitment to supporting Ukraine against Russian aggression.

The agreement was signed on the sidelines of the Group of Seven (G7) summit in southern Italy. It includes a commitment to bring U.S. military cooperation with Ukraine up to NATO standards and help accelerate its transformation to align with its goals of joining the European Union.

President Biden, in a joint press conference after signing the agreement, emphasized, “Our goal is to strengthen Ukraine’s credible defense and deterrence capabilities for the long term. We’ve taken significant steps at the G7 that collectively demonstrate to Putin that he cannot outlast us and that we stand with Ukraine until they succeed in this war.”

The agreement also details the U.S. commitment to enhancing various aspects of Ukraine’s forces, such as its Air and Missile Defense, including the use of the Patriot missile system.

Additionally, the White House announced plans to provide long-term training and advice to Ukrainian forces and extend invitations to participate in U.S. and multilateral exercises “when appropriate.”

President Biden reiterated that the U.S. would not deploy American troops to Ukraine for combat but would instead continue to offer weapons, ammunition, expand intelligence sharing, and provide training to Ukrainian troops in Europe and the United States.

The agreement follows G7 countries’ decision to unlock frozen Russian assets and earmark them as collateral for a multi-billion-dollar loan to Ukraine. President Biden described this achievement as “another reminder to Putin that we’re united against illegal aggression.”