Biden, appeal to Congress/ Approve aid to Ukraine

2024-02-06 21:04:21, Kosova & Bota CNA

Biden, appeal to Congress/ Approve aid to Ukraine

US President, Joe Biden

US President Joe Biden has called on Congress to pass a migration bill that includes aid to Ukraine, while lawmakers are facing political pressure from Republican presidential front-runner Donald Trump not to approve this aid.

Speaking from the White House, Biden told lawmakers to pass the measure, which he said includes Republican demands on immigration, and send the legislation to him to sign into law. He stressed the urgent need to approve $60 billion in aid to Ukraine, which is facing a Russian invasion launched by President Vladimir Putin in February 2022.

"Time is running. "Every week, every month that goes by without new aid to Ukraine means they will have less artillery ammunition, less air defense systems, less means to defend themselves against the Russians," Biden said.

Biden said that this is a critical moment, stressing that Putin is "waiting" for the US to give up support for Ukraine. The US president warned that if Washington fails to approve aid to Ukraine, it would be a historic mistake.

"Supporting this draft law means standing up against Putin. The opposition to the legislation is to act in his [Putin's] favor. The world is watching," Biden said.

He added that the cost to Americans and Washington's allies will only increase if this aid is not approved.

Biden blamed Trump for not passing the legislation in the U.S. Senate, saying the former U.S. president "thinks it's a bad thing politically for him," so he won't resolve the border issue in order to use it during the campaign. this year's presidential.

Over the weekend, a group of senators from both parties announced that they have reached an agreement to curb illegal crossings at the US-Mexico border. Biden said this bill "will enact the toughest border security reforms ever enacted."

The president delivered his speech from the White House after there were indications that the bill would not pass, as Republican senators who support Trump voiced their opposition to the legislation, saying border protection measures are insufficient./ REL