President Joe Biden addressed the United States on Thursday night to say that America has a responsibility to the rest of the world and must display leadership by providing more support to both Israel and Ukraine.
Biden spoke from the Oval Office and opened the address by saying that the U.S. is currently facing an “inflection point in history — one of those moments where the decisions we make today are going to determine the future for decades to come.”
Just a day earlier, Biden returned from a trip to Tel Aviv, where he met with Israel Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and the Israeli war cabinet.
Biden spoke of this visit during his address, noting that he also met with Israeli people whom he called “strong, determined, resilient, and also angry, in shock, and in deep, deep pain.”
“The terrorist group Hamas unleashed pure, unadulterated evil in the world. But sadly, the Jewish people know, perhaps better than anyone, that there is no limit to the depravity of people when they want to inflict pain on others,” he said.
Condemning Hamas and Putin, Biden remarked that the two aggressors “both want to completely annihilate a neighboring democracy — completely annihilate it.”
He said that “American leadership is what holds the world together” and that American values make other nations want to work with the U.S., adding that “it’s just not worth it” to turn one’s back on these values.
“That’s why, tomorrow, I’m going to send to Congress an urgent budget request to fund America’s national security needs, to support our critical partners, including Israel and Ukraine,” the president explained.
Biden said this package would support each country’s army and help them resist those threatening their freedom.
“The security package I’m sending to Congress and asking Congress to do is an unprecedented commitment to Israel’s security that will sharpen Israel’s qualitative military edge, which we’ve committed to — the qualitative military edge,” he said.
“On Ukraine, I’m asking Congress to make sure we can continue to send Ukraine the weapons they need to defend themselves and their country without interruption so Ukraine can stop Putin’s brutality in Ukraine,” he added.
Biden is expected to request a total of $105 billion, with $60 billion meant for Ukraine and $14 billion designated for Israel, according to The Associated Press. However, as reported by The Dallas Express, support for sending aid to Ukraine has seemingly begun to wane among the American public and some of Congress.
Also included in the request was $14 billion to help manage the U.S.-Mexico border, $10 billion for non-specified humanitarian aid, and $7 billion for the Indo-Pacific region.
This request, as articulated by Biden, will provide long-term security for Americans and “help us keep American troops out of harm’s way, help us build a world that is safer, more peaceful, and more prosperous for our children and grandchildren.”
Since Hamas first attacked Israel on October 7, more than 3,700 people in Gaza have died due to the conflict, according to ABC 7 NY.
Furthermore, a staggering number of deaths and injuries have been reported between Ukraine and Russia since the conflict began in February 2022.
It is estimated that nearly 500,000 troops have been killed or wounded in the war to this point, as reported by The New York Times.