Biden: Support for Israel and Ukraine is vital to US security

2023-10-20 07:43:00, Kosova & Bota CNA

Declaring that US leadership "holds the world together", President Joe Biden told Americans that the country must deepen its support for Ukraine and Israel at a time when these two countries are facing bloody wars.

Biden admitted that these conflicts "seem far away", but during the address from the Oval Office the US leader said they remain "vital to America's national security", as he prepared to ask the US Congress for billions of dollars in military support for these two states.

"History has taught us that when terrorists don't pay the price for their terror, when dictators don't pay the price for their aggression, they cause more chaos, death and destruction," Biden said. "They don't stop and the price of the threat to America and the world continues to rise."

Biden said he will send an urgent funding request to Congress for both US allies involved in the wars.

"[Palestinian militant group] Hamas and [Russian President Vladimir] Putin pose different threats, but they have this in common: They both want to wipe out a neighboring democracy," Biden said, adding that funding for Israel and Ukraine " are a wise investment" that will "pay dividends for American security for generations."

Before the Oval Office address, the White House said Biden spoke with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and reiterated Washington's support for Kiev, which is facing an invasion launched by Russia in February last year.

Meanwhile, Biden was in Israel on October 18 to express his country's support after Hamas militants launched coordinated attacks on Israel on October 7, prompting a fierce Israeli response.

The request for funds to support Israel and Ukraine - which according to US media sources will be close to 60 billion for Ukraine and 14 billion for Israel - comes after the Biden administration recently warned that time is running out to prevent Ukraine from losing power on the battlefield as it continues its grueling counteroffensive against Russian forces.

Ivo Daalder, former US ambassador to NATO, currently chief executive of the Chicago Council on Global Affairs, told RFE/RL that by linking aid to Israel and Ukraine, Biden has made it more difficult for Congress to reject the aid package.

This aid, which is expected to be approved, "once again undermines Vladimir Putin's calculations that the West is on the verge of collapse when it comes to supporting Ukraine."

"If you live in Russia, you understand that Ukraine is not going anywhere, that they will have constant ability to fight," he said.

President Biden said that failure to support Ukraine and Israel will jeopardize US security and its status as "a partner that other countries would like to work with."

"To risk everything, if we cut off support for Ukraine, if we turn our backs on Israel, it's just not worth it," Biden said. He added that making decisions during wars "requires you to ask the hard questions" and requires "clarity about the objectives and whether the path you are on will lead to the objectives".

The American president pointed out that since the invasion of Ukraine began, Putin and other senior Russian lawmakers have threatened Poland, Latvia, Lithuania and Estonia, which are NATO countries.

Biden said that if Moscow carries out any attack on these countries, or any other member of the alliance, the US "will defend every inch of NATO".

"We don't want American troops fighting in Russia or against Russia. We cannot allow terrorists like Hamas or tyrants like Putin to win. I refuse to allow this to happen," said Biden during the address from the Oval Office.

The US is Ukraine's biggest supporter, sending military aid worth $40 billion so far. Meanwhile, US officials have said they will make sure Israel has everything it needs to defend itself, after the Hamas attack that left 1,400 Israelis dead. Also, over 2,800 Palestinians have been killed in the Gaza Strip by Israel's retaliatory attacks./ Rel