President Joe Biden asked Americans to continue to support Ukraine, add support for Israel to their plate, and reject growing antisemitism and Islamophobia, in a rare Oval Office address Thursday evening urging unity against the forces of hate.
“American leadership is what holds the world together,” President Biden declared, less than one day after returning from an active war zone abroad not controlled by U.S. Armed Forces for the second time, being the only President to ever do so.
“American alliances are what keep us, America, safe. American values are what make us a partner other nations want to work with. To put all that at risk, if we walk away from Ukraine, if we turn our backs on Israel. It’s just not worth it,” President Biden warned, appearing to send a message to far-right isolationist Republicans, the very ones who two weeks ago forced out one Speaker of the House while continuing to be unable to elect another to lead their fractured conference.
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“That’s why tomorrow I’m going to send to Congress an urgent budget request to fund America’s national security needs, to support our critical partners, including Israel and Ukraine,” the President continued. “It’s a smart investment that’s going to pay dividends for American security for generations. Help us keep American troops out of harm’s way. Help us build a world that is safer, more peaceful and more prosperous for our children and grandchildren.”
Biden’s remarks that “American leadership is what holds the world together,” were echoed by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy just hours earlier, when he declared his gratitude to President Biden, Congress, and “the entire American people for their powerful assistance and leadership.”
“American leadership helps rally the world behind the common cause of protecting life and rules-based international order,” President Zelenskyy said. “Ukrainians know how important unity is to defend against terror and aggression. The unity here, inside Ukraine, in partner states, including in the U.S., and around the world.”
President Biden began his 15-minute speech by telling Americans, “We’re facing an inflection point in history, one of those moments where the decisions we make today are going to determine the future for decades to come.”
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