G7 summit: US, Ukraine sign long-term defense deal

US President Joe Biden said a new 10-year bilateral security agreement he signed with President Volodymyr Zelenskyy will, "strengthen Ukraine's credible defense and deterrence capabilities for the long term."

The deal, signed at the G7 summit in Italy, outlines how the US will coordinate with Ukraine and its allies to ensure Ukraine's defense and deter Russian aggression.

"A lasting peace for Ukraine must be underwritten by Ukraine's own ability to defend it now, and deter any aggression in the future," Biden said

Zelenskyy hailed it as the "strongest agreement" with the United States since Ukraine declared independence. 

The agreement regulates cooperation between the two countries at all levels, including military equipment, training, and maneuvers.

At the same time, Ukraine must carry out various reforms in the areas of justice, law enforcement, and anti-corruption, as well as in military capabilities and structures to meet NATO standards in the future.

US President Joe Biden and his Ukrainian counterpart Volodymyr Zelenskyy signed a 10-year bilateral security agreement on the sidelines of the G7 summit in Italy.

"The parties recognize this agreement as supporting a bridge to Ukraine's eventual membership in the NATO alliance," the agreement said. 

In case of an armed attack or threat against Ukraine, top US and Ukrainian officials would meet within 24 hours to discuss a response and Kyiv's defense needs.

Fifteen countries have already concluded similar long-term security agreements with Ukraine, including Germany, France and the United Kingdom.

German Chancellor Olaf Scholz has hailed as a "historic step" a deal by G7 leaders to raise $50 billion (€46 billion) a year for Ukraine by using frozen Russian assets.

"The foundation has been created for Ukraine to be in a position to acquire everything in the near future it needs to acquire in terms of weapons but also in terms of investments in the reconstruction of the energy infrastructure," Scholz said in brief remarks to reporters.

Details are still being hashed out as G7 leaders gather for a summit in Italy, but it is understood that the money could reach Kyiv by the end of the year.

Scholz added that it was also "a clear signal to the Russian president that he cannot simply take advantage of a situation and hope that he will succeed in winning this war" because some countries supporting Ukraine are now facing fiscal problems.

The German chancellor also said the leaders endorsed US President Joe Biden's peace plan for the Israel-Hamas war. 

He said "now it is important that everyone implements it" and called on Hamas "to give the necessary approval so that this can now work."

NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg said he wants the bloc's members to commit to spending a minimum of  €40 billion ($43 billion) per year in military aid for Ukraine for as long as it takes.

He said a long-term commitment  "shows Moscow they cannot wait us out."

Stoltenberg spoke after a gathering of the Ukraine Defense Contact Group (UDCG) meeting on the sidelines of a NATO defense ministers' meeting in Brussels.

Ukrainian Defense Minister Rustem Umerov briefed the UDCG about the situation on the frontlines of the war with Russia. 

"Delays in our support have had serious consequences, and we must not let that happen again," Stoltenberg said without expanding. 

"The longer we plan and the longer we commit, the sooner Ukraine can have peace," Stoltenberg added. 

He said making a longer-term commitment would signal to President Vladimir Putin that the war needs to end. 

President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said Ukraine and Japan signed a security agreement on the sidelines of the G7 summit.

"In 2024, Japan will provide Ukraine with $4.5 billion and will continue to support us throughout the agreement's entire 10-year term," he wrote online. 

Japan is a major financial backer of Ukraine, providing billions in aid, but unlike Germany it has declined to break its post-war taboo and to send weaponry to the hot conflict to assist Kyiv.

According to Zelenskyy, Japanese Prime Minister Kishida Fumio also undertook to maintain tough sanctions on Russia.

"We also greatly appreciate that Japan will cooperate with Ukraine in reconstruction and recovery," Zelenskyy wrote.

Around $1 billion (€926 million) from allies and G7 countries has been pledged to Ukraine to reinvigorate its energy sector, which has been hit by a series of Russian missile attacks, Ukraine's energy ministry said on Thursday.

The assistance will include over €70 million in new grant contributions to the Ukrainian energy support fund, $500 million in fresh funding from the US, €300 million from the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) and $47 million of additional grants from the World Bank and the European Union.

As of May 2024, the Kyiv School of Economics estimated damages to Ukraine's energy sector to have amounted to more than $16.1 billion since the war began in February 2022.

The new financial assistance was agreed during a reconstruction conference in Berlin this week.

The Vatican on Thursday said Pope Francis would be meeting some of the world leaders attending the G7 summit in Italy.

In April the Vatican confirmed that Francis would be attending the summit — the first pope to ever do so — and would participate in a session on Artificial Intelligence, which takes place on Friday.

According to the pontiff's schedule for Thursday, he will be having one-on-one meetings with Ukraine's Volodymyr Zelenskyy, France's Emmanuel Macron, India's Narendra Modi, Brazil's Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, Canada's Justin Trudeau, Turkey's Recep Tayyip Erdogan, Kenya's William Ruto, Algeria's Abdelmadjid Tebboune, and the head of the International Monetary Fund (IMF), Kristalina Georgieva, among others.

Italy was reportedly attempting to water down a G7 declaration on abortion by removing a reference to "safe and legal" terminations, according to the AFP news agency which cited diplomatic sources.

Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni's office denied media reports that Italy was trying to dilute language about access to abortion in the final communique.

Meloni opposes abortion but has pledged not to alter existing laws and has repeatedly stated that she wants to give women "the right to not have an abortion" and ensure that other options are pointed out to them.

Italian Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani told Sky TG24 on Thursday that it was "premature" to comment as "the different delegations are (still) negotiating".

The final document is not expected to be published until late Friday.

Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said Thursday that much of the G7 summit taking place in Italy would be "dedicated to Ukraine, our defense, and economic resilience."

The Ukrainian leader said that for his country the key issues were developing a fighter jet coalition and speeding up training for pilots and aircraft delivery.

Developing Ukraine's air defenses "based on the most powerful Western systems," along with increasing long-range capabilities, was also foremost on his mind.

Zelenskyy also said the approval of using Russian assets for the benefit of Ukraine for the development of his country's defense industry and weapon production was a key issue for Ukraine.

"Bilateral security agreements will be signed during meetings with US President Joe Biden and Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida," Zelenskyy said adding that the document with the US "will be unprecedented."

Leaders from the Group of Seven (G7) wealthy democracies have agreed on a $50 billion (€46.3 billion) loan for Ukraine — using interest on profits from Russia's frozen central bank assets as collateral.

The move follows a recent EU decision to use windfall profits earned on immobilized Russian assets to Kyiv's benefit.

Details are still being hashed out as G7 leaders gather for a summit in Italy, but it is understood that the money could reach Kyiv by the end of the year.

The US government would provide most of the money, backed by windfall profits being earned on about $300 billion in immobilized Russian assets. Most of the money is being held in Europe.

While the loan would be mostly guaranteed by the US, a French official said it could be supplemented with European money or other contributions.

Officials have debated the legality of confiscating the money and sending it to Ukraine for over a year.

Western nations immediately froze whatever Russian central bank assets they had access to when Moscow invaded Ukraine in 2022.

Using the funds directly to finance Ukraine's war effort would require a more robust legal basis, so the latest plan is a workaround.

British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak will announce up to 242 million pounds ($309.7 million, €286.6 million) in bilateral assistance to Ukraine at the G7 summit, his office said.

The aid is aimed at supporting immediate humanitarian, energy and stabilization needs for Ukraine.

"We must be decisive and creative in our efforts to support Ukraine and end Putin's illegal war at this critical moment," Sunak said ahead of the summit.

Shortly after the summit began, Sunak said the UK "will always stand shoulder to shoulder with Ukraine in its fight for freedom" as he announced dozens of new sanctions aimed at constraining Russia's war in Ukraine. The new sanctions include targeting Moscow's main stock exchange, a day after the United States announced similar measures.

"Today we are once more ramping up economic pressure through sanctions to bear down on Russia's ability to fund its war machine," he added.

US President Joe Biden and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy will sign a new security agreement between their countries on Thursday when they meet on the sidelines of the G7 summit in Italy.

"By signing this we'll also be sending Russia a signal of our resolve. If [Russian President] Vladimir Putin thinks he can outlast the coalition supporting Ukraine, he's wrong," White House National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan said.

The deal is a "bridge" to when Ukraine is invited to join the NATO alliance, he added.

However, Sullivan stressed, the accord would not commit US troops directly to Ukraine's defense against Russia’s invasion.

Biden and Zelenskyy are expected to hold a joint news conference while meeting at the G7 summit.

US President Joe Biden has arrived in Italy to attend this year’s G7 summit, which will be held from June 13-15.

On Thursday, he is expected to meet with Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, the pope and other world leaders.

Russia’s war in Ukraine, the conflict in the Middle East as well as issues like migration are high on the agenda.

The G7 is an informal bloc of industrialized democracies that meets annually to discuss shared issues and concerns. This is Biden's second foreign trip in as many weeks.

The US president was in France last week for a state visit in Paris and ceremonies in Normandy marking the 80th anniversary of the D-Day landings in World War II.

sri/rm (AP, AFP, Reuters, dpa)