Biden, Zelenskyy Sign Ukraine Security Deal as G7 Pledges $50 Billion Loan

U.S. President Joe Biden and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy signed a 10-year bilateral security deal on Thursday, as G7 leaders agreed to loan Ukraine $50 billion.

The Details: The loan, provided up front, will be backed by interest earned on profits from $280 billion in frozen Russian assets. As part of the security agreement, the U.S. “commits to support Ukraine in developing a modern, NATO-interoperable force that can credibly deter and, if necessary, defend against future aggression.” That includes more air defense weapons; when Zelenskyy said Ukraine needed Patriot missiles “urgently,” Biden said Ukraine would have the missiles “relatively quickly,” citing commitments from five unnamed countries. 

For Context: Leaders from the G7 countries — Italy, Canada, Germany, France, Canada, the U.S., and the U.K. — met in Italy this week.

Key Quote: Retired Lt. Col. Alexander Vindman, who reported the phone call that led to former President Donald Trump’s first impeachment, told NBC News (Lean Left bias): “What does [the security agreement] mean if you have a second Trump administration? Probably not much.” Trump has previously questioned the amount of U.S. funding for Ukraine and suggested he would tell Ukrainian leaders they “have to make a deal” with Russia. 

How the Media Covered It: Some mainstream coverage appeared to offer few details from the agreement, instead linking to the White House’s published text of the deal and saying it included “military training, intelligence sharing and weapons assistance.”  Coverage was less common among right-rated outlets, which often republished articles from AP (Lean Left bias) and Reuters (Center bias).