Talk of war at G7 summit
On the sidelines, US commits to Ukraine security
President Joe Biden and Ukrainian leader Volodymyr Zelenskyy signed a 10-year security agreement yesterday they hailed as a milestone in relations between their countries, but that alone was not enough to stop Zelenskyy from wondering how much longer he could count on US support.
Zelenskyy also said his country “urgently” needed additional air defence systems to protect Ukrainians and the nation’s infrastructure from Russia’s continued bombardment.
The leaders signed the agreement on the sidelines of the annual Group of Seven summit, held this year in Italy, and Biden said the goal “is to strengthen Ukraine’s defence and deterrence capabilities”.
Zelenskyy said at a joint news conference the signing made for a “truly historic day,” but he also wondered about the durability of support from the US and other allies.
Ukraine’s president said the right question to ask is “for how long the unity in the world will remain? The unity in the US, together with European leaders” and how it will be influenced by the outcome of elections this year in many of those countries.
Topping that list is voting in the US in November in a campaign that could see the return of Republican Donald Trump to the presidency. Trump has been sceptical of providing additional military aid to Ukraine, at one point criticising the “endless flow of American treasure.” But more recently he has expressed openness to lending money instead and has said Ukraine’s independence is important to the US. Biden said the US has commitments from five countries that he did not name to provide Patriot missile and other air defence systems to Ukraine. Zelenskyy said he “urgently” needed seven Patriot systems.
Biden said “You’ll have some relatively quickly”.
Biden lso announced Italy was joining a G7 initiative to provide development assistance to Africa, which is meant as a bulwark against growing Chinese influence on the continent. Biden said US$60 billion ($97.5b) mobilised by the US and the G7 is proof “democracies can deliver,” as the US and its allies warn China’s investments come attached with geopolitical and economic demands.
The annual summit opened yesterday in Italy’s picturesque Puglia region in the south, with leaders meeting in private to discuss the wars in Gaza and Ukraine and other concerns.