Hamas and Russian President Vladimir Putin want to “annihilate” democracies, Joe Biden said this morning in a speech to the nation, during which he announced that he will ask the United States Congress to “urgently” fund aid to Israel and Ukraine.
The United States will be safer “for generations” if it helps these two countries at war, the American president insisted in a rare speech from the Oval Office of the White House.
“Hamas and Putin represent different threats, but they have something in common: they both want to completely annihilate a neighboring democracy,” added the 80-year-old Democratic leader, who has just returned from Tel Aviv, where he assured Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, that the United States supports its country.
That is why on Friday he will ask Congress to “urgently” fund aid to Israel and Ukraine, “our essential partners.” “It is a smart investment that will pay dividends for American security for generations. (It will) help us keep American troops out of harm’s way. (It will) help us build a world that is safer, more peaceful and more prosperous for our children and grandchildren,” Biden said.
«The US is a beacon for the world»
«American leadership is what holds the world together. American alliances are what keep us, the United States, safe. “American values are what make us an ally that other nations want to work with,” she said. «The United States is a beacon for the world. Still. “Still,” she assured.
With this speech to the nation, Joe Biden, candidate for re-election, wants to convince his Republican rivals, but also the electorate, tired of the war in Ukraine, of the need for an aid package for Kiev and Israel. By linking Israel’s defense with that of Ukraine, he hopes to achieve the consensus he has so far lacked in Congress to fund additional military aid to kyiv.
It is also an opportunity to distinguish oneself from a Republican Party that has been upside down since some Republican congressmen close to former President Donald Trump caused the removal of the president of the lower house, without so far managing to impose one of their own as successor.
So the institution is mired in a crisis, unable for the moment to pass the slightest bill. “We cannot allow petty, partisan politics and anger to get in the way of our responsibility as a great nation. We cannot and will not allow terrorists like Hamas and tyrants like Putin to win. “I refuse to allow that to happen,” said Biden, convinced that his country remains the guardian of freedom.
“Putting all that at risk, if we walk away from Ukraine, if we turn our backs on Israel, it’s just not worth it,” Biden insisted. According to a source close to the negotiations, the White House wants to ask Congress for $100 billion for Ukraine, Israel, Taiwan and the immigration crisis on the border with Mexico.
A few hours before his speech, the American president spoke with his Ukrainian counterpart, Volodymyr Zelensky, who thanked him for the “vital support” of the United States. Republicans doubt the advisability of increasing military aid to Ukraine but are the first to demand massive support for Israel and more firmness on immigration issues and with respect to China.
Joe Biden, whose country has spent tens of billions in Ukraine, must overcome not only the boredom of some congressmen, but also that of American public opinion in the face of a war that is dragging on. Biden, who could face Trump again in the November 2024 presidential election, knows that time is running out: if Congress does not approve an annual budget, the United States will fall into budget paralysis on November 17.