INSUBCONTINENT EXCLUSIVE:
President Joe Biden and Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelenskiy signed a 10-year bilateral security agreement on Thursday aimed at bolstering
Ukraine&s defense against Russian invaders and getting Ukraine closer to NATO membership, Reuters reported.The deal, signed on the sidelines
of the G7 summit in Italy, aims to commit future U.S
administrations to support Ukraine, even if former President Donald Trump wins November&s election, officials said.&Our goal is to
strengthen Ukraine&s credible defense and deterrence capabilities for the long term,& Biden said at a joint news conference with
Zelenskiy.He said the G7&s message to Russian President Vladimir Putin is &You cannot wait us out
You cannot divide us.& The group of rich nations also agreed to a $50 billion loan for Ukraine backed by profits from frozen Russian
assets.The U.S.-Ukraine security deal is a framework for a long-term effort to help develop Ukraine&s outdated armed forces and serve as a
step towards Ukraine&s eventual NATO membership, according to the text.The Ukraine president called the agreement historic, saying it is a
bridge toward his country&s eventual NATO membership
&This is an agreement on security and thus on the protection of human life,& he said.Zelenskiy has long sought NATO membership but the
allies have stopped short of taking that step
The Western alliance regards any attack launched on one of its 32 members as an attack on all under its Article Five clause, read the
report.In the event of an armed attack or threat of such against Ukraine, top U.S
and Ukrainian officials will meet within 24 hours to consult on a response and determine what additional defense needs are required for
Ukraine, the agreement says.Under the agreement, the United States restates its support for Ukraine&s defense of its sovereignty and
territorial integrity, amid a renewed push by Russia on Ukraine&s eastern front.It also outlines plans to develop Ukraine&s own defense
industry and expand its military.Ukraine needs a &significant& military force and sustained investments in its defense industrial base
consistent with NATO standards, the text says.It will allow the two countries to share intelligence, hold training and military education
programs and combined military and exercises.With Trump leading Biden in many election polls, the future of the agreement remains
unclear.Trump has expressed skepticism of Ukraine&s continued fight, saying at one point that he would end the conflict in his first day in
Trump has also pushed for Europe to take on more of the burden of supporting Kyiv, Reuters reported.Zelenskiy, asked about what could happen
for his country if there is a change in leadership in the United States and in other allied nations, said people stood with Ukraine because
they have shared values and empathize with the Ukrainian people.He said he does not think that popular support will change.&If the people
are with us, any leader will be with us in this struggle for freedom,& he said.Biden recently shifted his policy against allowing Ukraine to
use American weapons for attacks inside Russia, permitting Kyiv to fire long-range U.S
missiles against Russian targets near the embattled Ukrainian city of Kharkiv.At the news conference, Biden made clear he would not permit
Ukraine to expand its use of U.S
missiles inside Russia.&It makes a lot of sense for Ukraine to be able to take out or combat what is going across that border
In terms of long range weapons … we have not changed our position on that,& Biden said. Related Stories: NATO allies offer Ukraine
security assurances as Biden hits out at PutinNATO Allies want to weaken Russia by prolonging Ukraine war: TurkeyThe post Biden, Zelenskiy
inch toward NATO with 10-year defense agreement first appeared on Ariana News.
