President Biden called on Congress to send additional aid to Israel and Ukraine in a rare prime-time address from the Oval Office on Thursday evening, in which he denounced Hamas terrorists but also drew a clear distinction regarding the need to assist “innocent Palestinians.”
“Hamas and [Russian president Vladimir] Putin represent different threats, but they share this in common: They both want to completely annihilate a neighboring democracy,” Biden said.
Biden announced his intention to send Congress an “urgent budget request to fund America’s national-security needs.”
“To support our critical partners, including Israel and Ukraine, is a smart investment that’s going to pay dividends to American security for generations, help us keep American troops out of harm’s way, help us build a world that is safer, more peaceful, more prosperous for our children and grandchildren,” he said.
A source reportedly told CBS News that Biden’s request includes “$60 billion for Ukraine and replenishing U.S. stockpiles, $14 billion for Israel, $10 billion for humanitarian efforts, $14 billion for the border and $7 billion for the Indo-Pacific region.”
He said the U.S. needs to make sure that Israel has what it needs to protect its people.
He called his request to Congress an “unprecedented commitment to Israel’s security that will sharpen Israel’s qualitative military edge.”
“We’re going to make sure Iron Dome continues to guard the skies over Israel, we’re going to make sure other hostile actors in the region know that Israel is stronger than ever and prevent this conflict from spreading,” he added.
As for Ukraine, Biden said he would ask Congress to “make sure we can continue to send Ukraine the weapons they need to defend themselves and their country without interruption.”
He made clear that he is not seeking to have American troops fighting in Russia or against Russia.
“If we walk away and let Putin erase Ukraine’s independence, would-be aggressors around the world would be emboldened to try the same,” increasing the risk of conflict and chaos in other parts of the world, including in the Indo-Pacific and the Middle East, he said.