Joe Biden
US President Joe Biden said on Friday that Russia’s recent missile attack on Ukraine was a stark reminder that Russian President Vladimir Putin was still intent on destroying Ukraine.
In a statement released while on vacation in St. Croix, Biden stated that the overnight strike, which killed 31 people and injured more than 120 across Ukraine, was the worst aerial assault since Moscow launched its invasion in February 2022.
“It is a stark reminder to the world that, after nearly two years of this devastating war, Putin’s objective remains unchanged. He seeks to obliterate Ukraine and subjugate its people. He must be stopped”, Biden continued.
Biden went on to say that Ukraine employed air defence systems provided by the US and its friends and partners to successfully intercept and destroy many of Russia’s missiles and drones, and he encouraged Congress to support further aid.
“Unless Congress takes urgent action in the new year, we will not be able to continue sending the weapons and vital air defense systems Ukraine needs to protect its people. Congress must step up and act without any further delay”, the US President explained.
The US said on Thursday that it would deliver up to $250 million in arms and equipment to Ukraine as part of a last aid package this year, as top officials urged legislators to approve another $61 billion in aid to the war-torn country.
Republicans are refusing to approve the aid requested by Biden unless Democrats agree to increase border security.
The White House has warned that without the additional allocation, US aid for Ukraine’s effort to regain land captured by Russian soldiers may run out by the end of the year.
Since Russia’s invasion, Congress has approved more than $110 billion for Ukraine, but no monies have been approved since Republicans took control of the House of Representatives from Democrats in January 2023.
The US President stated that the stakes of the conflict went far beyond Ukraine to the entire NATO alliance and Europe’s security, and he warned of risks to the United States.
“When dictators and autocrats are allowed to run roughshod in Europe, the risk rises that the United States gets pulled in directly”, Biden added.
“We cannot let our allies and partners down. We cannot let Ukraine down. History will judge harshly those who fail to answer freedom’s call”, Biden noted.
