US President Joe Biden and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky have signed a 10-year bilateral security agreement to bolster Ukraine's defenses against Russian aggression, according to Reuters. The agreement, signed during the G-7 summit in Italy, is seen as a step towards Ukraine's eventual NATO membership. The text of the agreement highlights that this accord helps build a bridge to Ukraine's membership in the NATO alliance.

Zelensky has long pursued NATO membership for Ukraine, but the alliance has been hesitant to take that step. Under NATO's Article 5, any attack on one member is considered an attack on all 32 member countries. The new agreement states that in the event of an armed attack or threat against Ukraine, senior US and Ukrainian officials will meet within 24 hours to discuss the response and assess Ukraine's additional defense needs.

The agreement reaffirms US support for Ukraine's sovereignty and territorial integrity amid renewed Russian pressure on the eastern Ukrainian front. It emphasizes the need for significant military forces, robust technical capabilities, and sustained investment in Ukraine's defense industrial base, aligning with NATO standards. The United States commits to providing long-term material, training, advisory, intelligence, security, defense-industrial, and institutional support to help develop Ukrainian security and defense forces capable of protecting a sovereign, independent, and democratic Ukraine and deterring future aggression.

In a related development, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky revealed that Chinese President Xi Jinping assured him that China would not sell weapons to Russia. Zelensky made this statement during a joint press conference with US President Joe Biden following the G-7 meeting in Italy. "I spoke on the phone with the leader of China. He said he would not sell any weapons to Russia. We will see. He gave me his word," Zelensky stated.