President Joe Biden stated in a primetime television speech on Thursday that the leadership of the United States is crucial in maintaining stability around the world.
He emphasized the importance of providing increased support to Ukraine and Israel, both of which are undergoing drastically different conflicts.
While acknowledging that these situations in both countries may seem distant, Biden stressed that addressing them is essential to the national security of the U.S.
The president intends to ask Congress for military aid totaling billions of dollars for both countries.
Biden also said that history has shown that in cases where terrorists and dictators are not held accountable, it results in more destruction and chaos, posing a growing threat to the world and America.
“Hamas and Putin represent different threats. But they share this in common: They both want to completely annihilate a neighboring democracy,” he added.
The president said he plans to urgently request a funding amount of $105 billion from Congress for the upcoming year. The proposal was released on Friday and includes $60 billion for Ukraine, with much of it being used to replenish U.S. weapons that have already been supplied.
In addition, there will be $14 billion reserved for Israel, $10 billion for humanitarian aid, $14 billion for handling the U.S.-Mexico border and countering fentanyl trafficking and $7 billion for the Indo-Pacific region, which includes Taiwan.
Biden made this speech on the day after his trip to Israel, where he displayed support for the country in its conflict with Hamas and called for more aid for Palestinians in the Gaza Strip.
