The US and Ukraine have signed a security agreement at the G7 summit in Italy, as world leaders agreed to a $50bn loan to help Kyiv following the Russian invasion.
Joe Biden’s national security adviser, Jake Sullivan, described the pact as a “real marker” of the US commitment to Ukraine, “not just for this month and this year, but for the many years ahead”.
Volodymyr Zelensky said on social media that the document is “unprecedented, as it should be for leaders who support Ukraine“.
The agreement will not commit US troops directly to Ukraine‘s defence against Russia‘s invasion. That is a red line drawn by the US president, who does not want to have America pulled into a direct conflict with nuclear-armed Moscow.
It comes as Russian drills to deploy tactical nuclear weapons for combat involved the special delivery of dummy nuclear warheads to forward storage points and an airfield where they were loaded on bombers, according to Russia‘s nuclear unit.
President Vladimir Putin ordered the nuclear drills after what Russia said were threats from the West, including signals from Western officials that they would allow Ukraine to strike deep into Russia with Western weapons.