President Biden plans to kick off this year’s G-7 summit in Italy by signing a 10-year security agreement between the U.S. and Ukraine, the White House said.
Biden will sign the document alongside Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy. The deal will ensure the U.S. continues to provide Ukraine with military equipment and weapons as the country continues to fend off Russian invasion.
The deal would not be binding once Biden leaves office, however, and former President Trump would be able to reverse the deal if he is elected in November.
“We want to demonstrate that the U.S. supports the people of Ukraine, that we stand with them, and that we’ll continue to help address their security needs not just tomorrow but out into the future,” National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan told reporters on Air Force One.
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“If Vladimir Putin thinks that he can outlast the coalition supporting Ukraine, he’s wrong,” Sullivan added.
Republicans on Capitol Hill have grown increasingly skeptical of America’s continued funding for Ukraine. Several have called for more scrutiny of how the funds are being spent, while others have called for funding to be cut off entirely.
Trump himself has also demanded that Europe step up its support for Ukraine, lessening the load on the U.S.
“Why can’t Europe equalize or match the money put in by the United States of America in order to help a country in desperate need?” Trump wrote in April.
He clarified that Ukraine’s “survival and strength” was important to the U.S. but that it should be of greater concern to Europe.
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“GET MOVING EUROPE!” Trump added. “In addition, I am the only one who speaks for ‘ME’ and, while it is a total mess caused by Crooked Joe Biden and the Incompetent Democrats, if I were President, this War would have never started!”
Russia invaded Ukraine in late February 2022. In the immediate months following, Ukraine saw widespread support from Western allies. However, that support has waned as the war drags on with no clear victory in sight.
Biden and Zelenskyy will hold a joint press conference after signing the deal Thursday.
