In a significant development this week, President Joe Biden has fortified the United States' commitment to Ukraine's security by signing a substantial agreement with the Eastern European nation.
This move is seen as a continuation of the Biden administration's strategy to deepen the U.S.'s involvement in Ukraine's defense, thereby broadening Washington's obligations to Kyiv.
As reported by the Daily Caller, President Biden attended the Group of Seven (G7) summit in Italy, where he inked a deal with Ukraine. The agreement, which spans a decade, pledges support for Ukraine's defenses and expedites its potential induction into NATO. This deal is a testament to Biden's escalating commitments to Kyiv, which include easing weapons restrictions and providing substantial aid, as the U.S. becomes increasingly entwined in the ongoing conflict in Eastern Europe.
The bilateral agreement, announced on Thursday, aims to enhance U.S. coordination with Kyiv for future weapons deliveries, strengthen Ukraine's defense capabilities, expand intelligence sharing, and "enhance interoperability between our militaries," according to a White House readout. The agreement also seeks to bring Ukraine closer to its ultimate objective of joining the NATO alliance, a move that the Biden administration has openly endorsed.
"Finally, this agreement accelerates Ukraines integration into the European and Atlantic trans-Atlantic communities," Biden stated at a joint press conference with Zelenskyy on Thursday. "It states that America supports Ukraines future future membership in NATO and recognizes that our security agreement is a bridge to Ukraines member- membership in NATO."
The Biden administration has also recently permitted Ukraine to use U.S. and Western-provided weapons in limited regions of Russia, a move previously opposed by the administration. According to Politico, the U.S.' European allies are now urging the Biden administration to further relax weapons regulations, enabling Ukraine to strike deeper into Russian territory.
The administration has yet to publicly comment on whether this request will be granted, but officials have hinted at a flexible U.S. policy in this regard. "If you look back over the course of the conflict, you can find a number of areas where we were reluctant to do something and then we did it," a senior Pentagon official, who wished to remain anonymous due to the sensitive nature of the discussions, told Politico on Friday. "So never say never."
If Ukraine becomes a NATO member, the U.S. would be obligated to defend it, as an attack on a NATO country is considered an attack on all alliance members under Article 5 of the treaty. Russia has adamantly opposed Ukraine's NATO membership, warning of the risk of a global war if it occurs.
Retired Lt. Col. Daniel Davis, a national security expert at Defense Priorities and host of the Daniel Davis Deep Dive show, expressed his concerns to the DCNF, stating, "[Bringing Ukraine into NATO] is pointless and it would do nothing but keep the war going."
Moscow has also warned that the Biden administration's decision to ease weapons restrictions for Ukraine represents an escalation of the war and risks dragging the U.S. and NATO allies further into the conflict. Russian President Vladimir Putin has even suggested that he could retaliate by providing weapons to his allies to strike Western targets.
George Beebe, a former CIA analyst and defense expert at the Quincy Institute, shared his concerns with the DCNF about Bidens G7 deal, stating, "The longer the war goes on, the more likely it is that the terms of any settlement will be more onerous for Ukraine and that the task of reconstructing its economy and infrastructure will be even more difficult."
Despite receiving over $70 billion in U.S. weapons aid, Ukraine's military capabilities remain inferior to Russia's. Ukraine is grappling with a severe manpower shortage and lacks the quality of military equipment and weapons that Russia possesses. Since the war's inception in 2022, Russia's military has sustained heavy losses but has made advances along the Eastern front, exhausting Ukrainian forces and driving their retreat.
The bilateral agreement signed on Thursday is not without its potential pitfalls. As it was made executively and not ratified by Congress, a future U.S. president could choose to withdraw from the deal. Should Biden lose to former President Trump in the upcoming November presidential elections, Trump could use his executive authority to withdraw from the agreement.
Trump has previously stated that he could swiftly end the war and negotiate a peace settlement between Russia and Ukraine if reelected as president. "Ive recently spoken with one of Trumps senior foreign policy advisors, and he told me that if Trump wins, he is going to seek a settlement on the best terms he can get, and he has no interest in expanding the war," Davis told the DCNF.
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