Joe Biden, the U.S. president, signed a 10-year security pact with Ukraine at the Group of Seven summit in Fasano, Italy, committing American military backing through the coming decade in the fight against Russia.
The deal, signed Thursday, June 13, 2024, with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, establishes a long-term framework for U.S. assistance but is an agreement between two leaders rather than a treaty ratified by Congress. It does not put American soldiers in Ukraine.
Biden said the pact reminded Putin that the West was not backing down and was standing together “against this illegal aggression.” Zelenskyy called it the “strongest agreement with Ukraine and the U.S. since our independence,” while national security adviser Jake Sullivan described it as “a signal of our resolve.”
The G7 leaders separately promised Ukraine a $50 billion loan for rebuilding infrastructure and buying weapons, backed by interest earned on Russian assets frozen after Moscow’s 2022 invasion. Biden framed the package as proof that the West was standing together against illegal aggression.
The summit, held in the hills of Puglia, capped a week in which the group’s leaders looked fragile at home even as they projected unity. Emmanuel Macron had called snap elections after a European Parliament defeat, Rishi Sunak faced a likely loss in July, and Justin Trudeau’s approval had slid to 38 percent. Still, the leaders rallied around Ukraine, and the European Union hit Chinese electric vehicles with tariffs of up to nearly 50 percent.
Sources
- G7 leaders put on show of unity, but look fragile at home | Politics News | Al Jazeera
- Biden signs 10-year security agreement with Ukraine
