Free Republic

President Joe Biden and Ukrainian leader Volodymyr Zelenskyy signed a 10-year security agreement Thursday that they hailed as a milestone in relations between their countries, but that alone was not enough to stop Zelenskyy from wondering how much longer he could count on America's support. Zelenskyy also said his country “urgently” needed additional air defense systems to protect Ukrainians and the nation's infrastructure from Russia's continued bombardment. The leaders signed the agreement on the sidelines of the annual Group of Seven summit, held this year in Italy, and Biden said the goal "is to strengthen Ukraine's defense and deterrence capabilities.”...

China has reacted furiously after Australia signed a new three-way security alliance with the US and the UK and vowed to build nuclear-power submarines. China's Washington DC embassy spokesman Liu Pengyu accused the nations of adopting a 'Cold War mentality' towards China in reference to the stand-off between the US and the Soviet Union in the twentieth century. Countries 'should not build exclusionary blocs targeting or harming the interests of third parties,' he said. 'In particular, they should shake off their Cold-War mentality and ideological prejudice.' Prime Minister Scott Morrison on Thursday morning unveiled Australia's role in a landmark tripartite...

American Officials See Link Between Limits, Spate of Attacks By Ernesto Londoño and Karen DeYoung Washington Post Foreign Service Saturday, July 18, 2009 BAGHDAD, July 17 -- The Iraqi government has moved to sharply restrict the movement and activities of U.S. forces in a new reading of a six-month-old U.S.-Iraqi security agreement that has startled American commanders and raised concerns about the safety of their troops.