President Joe Biden delivered only the second Oval Office address of his term on Thursday night to make the case for U.S. backing of Ukraine and Israel in a time of war
President Joe Biden speaks from the Oval Office of the White House Thursday, Oct. 19, 2023, in Washington, about the war in Israel and Ukraine. WASHINGTON — — President Joe Biden declared it is “vital for America's national security” for Israel and Ukraine to succeed in their wars, making the case Thursday night for deepening U.S. involvement in a rare Oval Office address as he preparedto ask for billions of dollars in military assistance for both countries.
“It’s a smart investment that’s going to pay dividends for American security for generations," Biden said. The White House has warned that time is running out to prevent Ukraine, which recently struggled to make progress in a grueling counteroffensive, from losing ground to Russia because of dwindling supplies of weapons.
There are rumbles of disagreement within Biden's administration as well. Josh Paul, a State Department official who oversaw the congressional liaison office dealing with foreign arms sales, resigned over U.S. policy on weapons transfers to Israel. Wartime decision-making, Biden said, “requires asking very hard questions” and"clarity about the objectives and an honest assessment about whether the path you are on will achieve those objectives."
“These are two separate and unrelated conflicts and it would be wrong to leverage support of aid to Israel in an attempt to get additional aid for Ukraine across the finish line,” they wrote in a letter.
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