US President Joe Biden on Tuesday asked world leaders gathered at the UN General Assembly to support Ukraine in the fight against Russian invaders, expressing hope that Republicans in Congress will heed this call.
- “Russia believes that the world is bored and will allow it to brutalize Ukraine without consequences,” Joe Biden said in his speech at the UN General Assembly, Reuters and News.ro reported.
- “If we allow Ukraine to be crippled, is the independence of any nation safe?” – the leader of the White House asked rhetorically.
Biden drew applause when he said the United States and its allies would support Ukraine’s fight for freedom. “Russia is solely responsible for this war,” the US president said. “Only Russia has the power to immediately stop this war,” he said.
Biden’s speech at the annual meeting of the United Nations became the central theme of his three-day visit to New York, which will include meetings with the heads of five Central Asian countries, as well as the leaders of Israel and Brazil.
Joe Biden, a Democrat, has made mobilizing US allies to support Ukraine a cornerstone of US foreign policy, arguing that the world must send a clear signal to Russian President Vladimir Putin that he cannot outlast the West.
But Biden has faced criticism from Republicans who want the United States to spend less money on the military. Former President Donald Trump, the front-runner for the 2024 Republican presidential nomination, has vowed to try to end the war quickly if he returns to power. Trump expressed skepticism about Washington’s commitment to traditional allies, including NATO, and praised Putin, Reuters noted.
House Speaker Kevin McCarthy, the top Republican in Washington, questioned whether the United States should continue spending billions of dollars on arms for Ukraine.
In his speech, Biden stated that Russia’s invasion and occupation of the territory of Ukraine in 2022 violated the founding Charter of the United Nations, the main principle of which is respect for sovereignty and territorial integrity. His comments echoed what UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said in his opening speech on Tuesday, saying the Russian invasion had “unwound a web of terror”.
The USA is preparing a new package of military aid to Ukraine
A representative of the Biden administration said the president and US officials will also focus at the UN meetings on mobilizing resources for infrastructure and sustainable development and combating climate change.
An overwhelming majority of Americans support arming Ukraine to defend against Russia and believe such aid shows China and other US rivals a willingness to defend US interests and allies, according to a June Reuters/Ipsos poll.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyi, who was personally present and applauded Biden’s remarks before his own speech at the General Assembly, is scheduled to visit Biden at the White House on Thursday, as well as meet with some congressional leaders.
The United States is preparing a new military aid package for Ukraine to coincide with Zelenskyi’s visit, and Congress has been asked to approve billions of dollars in additional security aid by the end of the year.
“We are confident that it will be supported by two parties. I think President Zelenskyy has it too,” White House National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan told reporters.
After the speech, Biden was going to sit down with Antonio Guterres to discuss the world’s hot spots. Later, he will take part in the first summit with the presidents of five Central Asian countries. These are Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan, all former Soviet republics that were considered satellites of Moscow.
On Wednesday, Biden will meet with Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva and join him at an event with Brazilian and US union leaders. Also on Wednesday, Biden will hold his first face-to-face meeting with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu since he returned to power last December. Sullivan said they would discuss “a vision for a more stable, prosperous and integrated region, and compare notes on effectively countering and containing Iran.”
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Source: Hot News
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