Joe Biden, on Ukraine and the Middle East: ‘We’re facing an inflection point in history’

“History has taught us that when terrorists don’t pay a price for their terror, when dictators don’t pay a price for their aggression, they cause more chaos and death and more destruction,” said U.S. President Joe Biden on Wednesday evening in a televised speech from the Oval Office on aid to Ukraine and the war between Israel and Hamas, in which he revealed that this Friday he will ask Congress for “urgent” additional assistance for Kyiv and Israel. His appearance before the cameras was an exceptional occasion: it is only the second time that he has addressed the nation from the center of American power in his almost three years in office. The first was back in June, when a legislative agreement in extremis avoided a federal government shutdown.

“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,” he warned at the beginning of his statement. If Russian President Vladimir Putin succeeds in his country’s invasion of Ukraine, he will pose a threat to Poland and the Baltic States, and in the Middle East, radical Islamic groups may expand their influence, he warned.

The setting and the moment were charged with solemnity. Less than 24 hours before, Biden returned from a less than eight-hour trip to Tel Aviv, dominated by the aftermath of the blast at a hospital in Gaza that left hundreds dead. There, President Biden reached an agreement with Israel to allow humanitarian aid to be sent to the Gaza Strip before the start of what is feared to be a violent ground campaign by Israeli troops in response to attacks by the radical Palestinian militia Hamas on October 7th.

The purpose of the speech was to underscore to Americans the need to devote billions of dollars to military aid to Ukraine and Israel. The White House plans to submit a new funding request of nearly $100 billion in additional budget to Congress for approval. About $60 billion would go for assistance to the Russian-invaded country, and about $10 billion to the Middle East ally. The rest would go to Asia and the security of the U.S. southern border.

Hours before his speech, Biden spoke on the telephone with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy, who said on the social network X (formerly Twitter) that his U.S. counterpart had reiterated Washington’s support for as long as necessary.

In Tel Aviv, Biden, who expressed strong support for Israel against Hamas, had already announced $100 million in assistance for Palestinians in Gaza and the West Bank, and said he would ask Congress for funds to help Israel defeat the radical militia.

The speech also comes as Congress is in a semi-paralyzed state. The two chambers, the Senate and the House of Representatives, must both approve budget measures, but infighting among Republican lawmakers, who hold a majority in the House, has kept the chamber without a speaker for 17 days and left its proceedings at a standstill.

No immediate end to the impasse is foreseen. House speaker hopeful Jim Jordan, aligned with Republican hardliners and former president Donald Trump, is still not getting the votes needed among his own party to win the post days after earning the nomination.

Meanwhile, Democratic lawmakers and a large majority of Republican senators and representatives support sending military aid to Ukraine, which they see as a national security issue: a defeat of Kyiv would leave a growing Russia on NATO’s doorstep and undermine democratic values and international law around the world, they believe. Washington has already sent more than $75 billion in defense aid to the government of Volodymyr Zelenskiy, including long-range ATACMS missile systems.

But the more radical wing of the Republican conference in the House opposes continuing this assistance without an end date or clear objectives. Given the slim majority with which Republicans dominate the chamber, their influence is disproportionate. Last month, they succeeded in blocking approval of a new aid package for Kyiv; it is those same funds that the White House is now trying to push through.

A majority of the U.S. population also believes, according to polls, that Washington should continue its military support for the invaded country. A poll published by Reuters earlier this month indicated that about 40% of voters agree that the country “should contribute weapons to Ukraine.”

U.S. citizens also support Biden’s policy toward Israel. Some 61%, according to a poll released Tuesday by Quinnipiac, say they side with Israel, and 52% believe U.S. support for Israel is at the right level. Only 13% say they feel more sympathy for the Palestinians.

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