At the UN General Assembly, Biden asks the world to support Ukraine

NEW YORK (Reuters) – U.S. President Joe Biden called on world leaders at the U.N. General Assembly on Tuesday to support Ukraine against Russian invaders, hoping Republicans in the Congress also realizes it.

“Russia believes the world will get tired and allow it to brutalize Ukraine without consequences,” Biden said in his speech to the United Nations General Assembly. “If we allow Ukraine to be divided, is any nation’s independence secure?”

Biden drew applause by saying the United States and its allies would support Ukraine’s fight for freedom. “Russia is solely responsible for this war,” the president said. “Only Russia has the power to end this war immediately.”

Biden’s speech at the annual meeting was the centerpiece of his three-day visit to New York, which will include meetings with the heads of state of five Central Asian nations and the leaders of Israel and Brazil.

Biden, a Democrat, has made mobilizing U.S. allies to support Ukraine a prominent component of U.S. foreign policy, arguing that the world must send a clear signal to Russian President Vladimir Putin that it cannot survive. to the West.

Biden has faced criticism from some Republicans who want the United States to spend less money on the war effort.

Former President Donald Trump, favorite for the Republican nomination in the 2024 presidential election, has promised to seek a quick ending to war if he returns to power.

Trump has expressed skepticism about Washington’s commitment to its traditional allies, including NATO, and has praised Putin.

House Speaker Kevin McCarthy, the top Republican in Washington, has questioned whether the United States should continue sending billions of dollars in weapons to Ukraine.

In his speech, Biden said that the Russian invasion of Ukraine and occupation of territory in February 2022 violated the founding Charter of the UN, one of the fundamental principles of which is respect for sovereignty and territorial integrity.

His comments echoed those of UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, who in his opening remarks to the UN General Assembly on Tuesday said the Russian invasion “has unleashed a nexus of horror.”

A Biden administration official said Biden and U.S. officials would also focus at U.N. meetings on mobilizing resources for infrastructure and sustainable development and combating climate change.

Solid majorities of Americans support providing weapons to Ukraine to defend itself against Russia and believe such aid demonstrates to China and other U.S. rivals a willingness to protect U.S. interests and allies, according to a Reuters/Ipsos poll in June. .

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy, who attended and applauded Biden’s comments before his own speech at the United Nations General Assembly on Tuesday, was expected to visit Biden at the White House on Thursday and also meet with some leaders congressional.

The United States is preparing a new military aid package for Ukraine to coincide with Zelenskiy’s visit, and Congress has been asked to approve it. billions of dollars more in security assistance for the rest of the year.

“We are confident that there will be bipartisan support for this. I think President Zelenskiy is as well,” White House national security adviser Jake Sullivan told reporters.

After his speech, Biden was due to sit down with Guterres to discuss the world’s flashpoints.

Later, he will attend for the first time a summit with the presidents of five Central Asian countries. These are Kazakhstan, the Kyrgyz Republic, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan.

On Wednesday, Biden will meet with Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva and join him at an event with union leaders from Brazil and the United States.

Also on Wednesday, Biden will have his first face-to-face meeting with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu since Netanyahu regained power last December.

Sullivan said they would discuss “a vision for a more stable, prosperous and integrated region, as well as compare notes on how to effectively counter and deter Iran.”

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