U.S. And Ukraine Agree To 10-Year Security Pact

( MSN )

The United States and Ukraine have agreed to a 10-year security agreement that will provide Kyiv with long-term military assistance, according to a senior Biden administration official.

National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan called the deal a "milestone" in relations between the U.S. and Ukraine, which is locked in a war with Russia after Moscow invaded the country in early 2022.

The agreement is a "real marker of our commitment, not just for this month, this year, but for many years ahead, to continue to support Ukraine, both in defending against Russian aggression and in deterring future aggression," Sullivan said on a call with reporters at the Group of Seven nations summit in southern Italy.

The security agreement commits the U.S. to provide Ukraine with military assistance for the next decade, including continued military training, defense industry and intelligence cooperation.

But the deal does not commit the U.S. to send troops to Ukraine to defend it in the event of a future attack.President Joe Biden has said repeatedly since Russia invaded Ukraine in February, 2022 that he would not send U.S. troops to fight in the war.

NATO members are committed to defending each other if a country in the alliance is attacked. Ukraine is seeking to join NATO but the Biden administration has signaled that's unlikely until after the war with Russia is over.

Despite falling short of a NATO-style mutual-defense pact, the new security deal represents a long-term commitment by Washington to Ukraine. Administration officials said it was intended to send a message to Russia that America is committed to Ukraine for the long haul, and was also meant to outlast political shifts in the U.S.

The deal appears to be legally binding. But it is not a treaty that needs congressional ratification, and it can be reversed by a future president.

It's an open question whether Donald Trump would undo the agreement if he beats Biden in the 2024 election and returns to the White House.

Trump has sent mixed signals on Ukraine since the start of the war. He did not object to the security package that Congress passed earlier this year after a monthslong debate. The aid package was delayed by Trump allies in the House who opposed providing Kyiv with more security assistance.

But Trump has at times voiced skepticism about spending more money on Ukraine, and he said if he was elected president again he would end the war in one day.

In his first term in office Trump withdrew the U.S. from two international agreements: the Paris climate accord, and a deal with Iran aimed at slowing the country's development of a nuclear weapons program.

Biden and President Volodymyr Zelensky are expected to sign the bilateral security agreement Thursday at ceremony at the G7 Summit in Italy.