President Joe Biden addressed the American people Thursday night from the Oval Office, tying together the conflicts in Ukraine and Israel, arguing ‘we can’t let terrorists like Hamas and Putin win.’
The president is asking Congress for a reported $100 billion in new funding, which is already being met with resistance on Capitol Hill with Republicans wary of giving any more money to Ukraine.
Seated at the Resolute Desk, Biden argued in his 15-minute address that the causes are the same – and share a common enemy: Iran.
‘Iran is supporting Russia in Ukraine and it’s supporting Hamas and other terrorist groups in the region,’ he said. ‘We put all that at risk if we walk away from Ukraine if we turn our backs on Israel.’
He continued, ‘American leadership is what holds the world together.’
‘American alliances are what keep us – America – safe. American values are what make us a partner that other nations want to work with,’ he said. ‘To put all that at risk if we walk away from Ukraine, we turn our backs on Israel – it’s just not worth it.’
The president laid out that Russian President Vladimir Putin’s ‘appetite for power and control’ means he won’t ‘limit himself to Ukraine,’ which could spill into a conflict where NATO countries are involved.
If that happens, Biden warned, ‘we’ll have something that we do not seek.’
‘We do not seek to have American troops fighting in Russia, or fighting against Russia,’ he said.
Biden’s funding request, reportedly $60 billion for Ukraine and $14 billion for Israel, comes at a moment when Congress is in chaos and there’s an uptick in resistance on the right to keep dollars flowing to Ukraine.
The House has been speakerless since October 3, when Rep. Matt Gaetz filed a motion to oust House Speaker Kevin McCarthy from the top job.