US President Joe Biden and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy signed a security agreement on Thursday, June 13, during the Group of Seven (G7) summit, sending what they described as a message of unified opposition to Russian President Vladimir Putin.
“He cannot wait us out,” Biden said. “He cannot divide us.”
Zelenskyy said the agreement demonstrated the “credibility of American support for our Ukrainian independence.”
“Today is a truly historic day. We have signed the strongest agreement between Ukraine and the US since our independence,” the Ukrainain leader said.
“This is an agreement on steps to guarantee sustainable peace and therefore it benefits everyone in the world because the Russian war in Ukraine is a real, real global threat,” Zelenskyy added.
Kyiv has signed fifteen bilateral security agreements with several countries including with the UK, France, Germany and Italy since the war broke out with Russia in 2022.
Contrary to the other bilateral agreements, the pact with the US will not require America to stand up for Ukraine’s defence, if and whenever it is attacked. However, it could make it easier for Ukraine to carry out peace negotiations with Russia, as it would be assured about receiving help incase of a further attack by Russia, the Guardian reported.
Also, the agreement does not need Congress’s authorisation and could be undone by a future Trump administration as well, the report added.
Biden has previously stated that the guarantees for Ukraine would be equivalent to Israel’s, including financial and military aid, in addition to the possibility of the joint weapons program.