US President Joe Biden will sign a security agreement with Ukraine to pledge long-term support to the country during his meeting with leaders of the G7 in Italy, a US official says.
Biden departed for Italy on Wednesday to increase pressure on Russia over its war against Ukraine and on China for its political support of the Kremlin.
The agreement will make clear “our support will last long into the future … particularly in the defence and security space,” White House national security adviser Jake Sullivan told reporters aboard Air Force One.
“By signing this we’ll also be sending Russia a signal of our resolve. If Vladimir Putin thinks he can outlast the coalition supporting Ukraine, he’s wrong,” Sullivan said.
Fifteen countries have signed the security agreement, which will strengthen Ukraine’s “defensive deterrence capability,” he said.
The agreement will include a commitment to working with the US Congress on funding Ukraine going forward but will not commit to using US forces on the ground, Sullivan added.
The White House had said earlier that Biden will meet again with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy at the summit, followed by a joint press conference.
In Saudi Arabia, I had a meaningful and energetic meeting with His Royal Highness Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman.We discussed bilateral relations between Ukraine and Saudi Arabia, noting the good progress on previous agreements and our teams’ effective cooperation. We will… pic.twitter.com/tpP9P6UhE6— Volodymyr Zelenskyy / Володимир Зеленський (@ZelenskyyUa) June 12, 2024
The heads of the world’s most developed democracies will address multiple challenges during the June 13-15 meeting, including wars in Ukraine and the Middle East, trade imbalances with China, threats posed by artificial intelligence and development challenges in Africa.
The leaders will also announce new sanctions and export controls against Russia that target entities and networks helping Putin’s forces fight the war in Ukraine.
Efforts to curb Russia’s growing war economy will be a major discussion topic, administration officials have said.
Meanwhile, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said on Wednesday he had held “productive and energetic” talks with Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman focusing on this week’s “Peace Summit” in Switzerland.
Ukraine aims to build international support for a peace plan proposed by Zelenskiy that includes a full withdrawal of Russian troops from Ukraine and return to its 1991 post-Soviet borders.
Russia, which launched a full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, has not been invited to the June 15-16 summit and dismisses it as pointless without its participation.
China is also staying away.
Zelenskiy said he and the crown prince discussed “preparations for the first, inaugural global peace summit, expectations for it, results and their possible implementation and efforts to move towards real peace for Ukraine”.
Ukraine, Zelenskiy said, is “grateful to Saudi Arabia for its support. We appreciate His Highness’s efforts to help find a rapid return to peace”.
The Ukrainian president made no mention of whether the crown prince would attend the meeting near the Swiss city of Lucerne.
Saudi state news agency SPA said the crown prince had affirmed Saudi Arabia’s “keenness and support for all international endeavours” to resolve the Ukraine-Russia conflict and discussed ways to mitigate its humanitarian impact.
Zelenskiy arrived in the Saudi city of Jeddah as part of his travels to build support ahead of the summit.
Ukraine has sought Saudi participation at the conference and one of the preparatory meetings for the summit was held in Jeddah.
Source Agencies
