During a visit to a Lockheed Martin plant in Troy, Alabama, which manufactures Javelin anti-tank missiles, US President Joe Biden urged Congress to approve his massive $33 billion Ukraine aid package.
During the Second World War, Biden noted, “We built the weapons and equipment that help defend freedom and sovereignty in Europe years ago.” Biden was referring to the United States’ industrial effort during the war. “It holds true once more today.”
Israel
Israeli officials have reportedly stated that they intend to increase their own military and humanitarian assistance to Ukraine, in response to pressure from western allies and the rapidly deteriorating relationship between Moscow and Tel Aviv.
According to the leading Israeli newspaper Haaretz, among the military items under consideration are “defensive systems that protect troops on the ground, personal combat gear, and warning systems.”
The discussions take place at a time when Israel is under increasing pressure from the United States and the European Union to take a firmer stance against Russia’s brutal invasion of Ukraine, which is now in its third month.
Furthermore, the talks take place against the backdrop of a rapid deterioration in Israel’s diplomatic relations with Russia over the past few days.
The Breakdown
After Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov attempted to defend Russia’s claim that it is “de-Nazifying” Ukraine — a country with a Jewish president — by asserting that “the biggest anti-Semites were Jewish,” including “Hitler,” the situation came to a head.
Officials in Jerusalem were outraged by the comments. Russia’s Foreign Ministry, however, did not back down from Lavrov’s remarks, instead accusing Israel of assisting a “neo-Nazi regime” in Kyiv, according to a statement released on Tuesday.
Despite the deterioration in relations between Moscow and Jerusalem, the Israeli newspaper Haaretz reported on Tuesday that Israel was not yet prepared to provide Ukraine with its most sophisticated and lethal weapons systems.
Joe Biden
In a statement, President Joe Biden urged Congress to expedite the passage of $33 billion in additional U.S. assistance to Ukraine, which is entering its tenth week of fighting a Russian invasion.
In a statement, Vice President Joe Biden said, “I urge Congress to pass this funding quickly to help Ukraine continue to succeed against Russian aggression, just as they did when they won the Battle of Kyiv,” as well as to ensure that the United States and our allies can replenish their own stock of weapons to replace those that have been sent to Ukraine.
He continued, flanked by Javelin missiles at a Lockheed Martin facility in southern Alabama. “This fight will not be cheap, but capitulating to aggression would be even more costly,” Biden said.
After exhausting his presidential drawdown authority, Vice President Joe Biden requested an additional $13 billion in funding from Congress last month.
The announcement of Biden’s latest military aid package, worth $800 million, was made on April 21. This is the eighth instalment of security assistance from the vice president. It increased the United States’ weapons and security commitment to Ukraine to $3.4 billion in just a few weeks, following Russia’s invasion in late February.
A total of $20 billion in new weapons and security assistance would be provided by the new funding from Congress, in addition to funds to assist Ukraine in running its government and funds for additional humanitarian and food assistance.
Published By – Supreeti Ghosh
