Ozi Indian
Washington, October 20
President Joe Biden declared it is “vital for America’s national security” for Israel and Ukraine to succeed in their wars, making the case on Thursday night for deepening US involvement in a rare Oval Office address as he prepared to ask for billions of dollars in military assistance for both countries.
If international aggression is allowed to continue, Biden said, “conflict and chaos could spread in other parts of the world”.
“It’s a smart investment that’s going to pay dividends for American security for generations,” Biden said.
Biden hopes that combining all of these issues into one piece of legislation will create the necessary political coalition for congressional approval. His speech comes the day after his high-stakes trip to Israel, where he showed solidarity with the country in its battle against Hamas and pushed for more humanitarian assistance to Palestinians in the Gaza Strip.
Ahead of his address, Biden spoke with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy to stress that the US remained committed to backing Kyiv, the White House said.
