President Joe Biden addressed the American people Thursday night from the Oval Office, tying together the conflicts in Ukraine and Israel, arguing ‘we cannot and will not let terrorists like Hamas and tyrants like Putin win.’
Pushing that ‘chaos will spread,’ the president pleaded with Congress to pass what’s expected to be $100 billion in new funding, which is already being met with resistance by Congressional Republicans, wary of giving any new money to Ukraine.
But seated at the Resolute Desk, Biden asserted in his 15-minute address that Russian President Vladimir Putin and the terror group Hamas, responsible for the bloody October 7 attack on Israel ‘represent different threats’ but share a common goal.
‘They both want to completely annihilate a neighboring democracy,’ he said.
Biden warned that if bad actors like Putin are left unchecked ‘would-be aggressors around the world would be emboldened to try the same.’
‘The risk of conflict and chaos could spread in other parts of the world, in the Indo-Pacific, in the Middle East, especially in the Middle East.’
He then noted another common thread between Ukraine and Israel: Iran.
‘Iran is supporting Russia in Ukraine and it’s supporting Hamas and other terrorist groups in the region,’ Biden said. ‘And we will continue to hold them accountable, I might add.’
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 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.
The president made other pledges too – telling family members of the hostages abducted by Hamas in Israel during the October 7 terror attack that ‘we’re pursuing every avenue to bring their loved ones home.’
‘As president, there is no higher priority for me than the safety of Americans held hostage,’ he said.
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