The two presidents signed the agreement at the end of the first day of the Group of Seven summit being held in Puglia, Italy, and spoke of their commitments during a press conference, standing side by side.
“Our goal is to strengthen Ukraine’s credible defense and deterrence capabilities for the long term,” Biden said. “A lasting peace for Ukraine must be underwritten by Ukraine’s own ability to defend itself now and to deter future aggression anytime in the future. The United States is going to help ensure that Ukraine can do both.”
The agreement between the U.S. and Ukraine is also expected to serve as an eventual bridge to Ukraine’s membership in NATO, with alliance members also pursuing their own bilateral agreements with Kyiv.
The president laid out the agreement, specially noting that it does not include U.S. troops on the ground, pushing back on some calls in Europe that the next step in supporting Ukraine is by providing foreign troops.
Biden said the U.S. is committed to continue military and economic aid for the war-torn country.
“Not by sending American troops to fight [in] Ukraine but by providing weapons and ammunition, expanded intelligence sharing, continue to train brave Ukrainian troops at bases in Europe and the United States, enhancing interoperability between our militaries in line with NATO standards, investing in Ukraine’s defense industrial base so in time … they can supply their own weapons,” Biden said.
Both leaders added that the agreement also includes working with partners to build a future for Ukraine that is “strong, sustainable, and resilient” and supporting economic and energy recovery for Ukraine after the Russian attacks.
When asked whether the U.S. is changing course to allow Ukraine to fire U.S. weapons into Russia, Biden pushed back and said he had changed that policy — even as earlier guidance from the White House to Ukrainian officials was that American weapons should not be used to strike targets inside Russia.
“It makes a lot of sense for Ukraine to be able to take out or combat what is coming across that border,” Biden said.
The president further said that Ukraine would have some of five Patriot air defense systems “relatively quickly,” amid urgent Ukrainian pleas to get at least seven of the air defense systems.
Read the full report at TheHill.com.
