Joe Biden pitches billions in foreign weapons support for Ukraine, Israel
Make us a preferred source
Make us a preferred source on Google
The news: US president Joe Biden has used a presidential address to get Americans behind billions in extra weapons support for Ukraine and Israel. Biden linked the two conflicts to American national security and said nation states such as Poland were being threatened by Russia.
The numbers: Biden will request emergency spending that U.S. officials say will total roughly USD100 billion ($158 billion) over the next year for Israel, Ukraine and Taiwan and security along the US-Mexico border, Reuters reported.
It may include $60 billion for Ukraine and $10 billion for Israel, sources told Reuters beforehand, as well as billions for Asia and US border security.
The context: Biden has recently returned from a whirlwind trip to Israel to show US solidarity after the 7 October attack by Hamas militants. A Jordan summit for the president and regional leaders was scuttled after US intelligence and Israel laid blame for a hospital explosion on rocket fire from within Gaza.
What they said: "Just as in World War Two, today, patriotic American workers are building the arsenal of democracy and serving the cause of freedom," Biden said in his address to the nation.
The sources: Presidential Address, Reuters
