President Joe Biden said the US can provide support to both Israel and Ukraine while still maintaining, “our overall international defense,” in an interview excerpt aired on the morning of 15 October, according to CNN. The full interview was aired on CBS “60 Minutes.”
Asked whether the wars in Israel and Ukraine are more than the United States can take on at the same time, President Biden replied:
“We’re the United States of America for God’s sake, the most powerful nation in the history — not in the world, in the history of the world. The history of the world. We can take care of both of these and still maintain our overall international defense,” Biden said. “And if we don’t, who does?” the President noted.
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“We have the capacity to do this and we have an obligation to, we are the essential nation,” Biden said on CBS News, paraphrasing a famous quote from former Secretary of State Madeleine Albright, according to CNN.
We’re the most powerful nation in the history of the world. We can take care of Israel and Ukraine and still maintain our overall international defense. pic.twitter.com/j3ajSs5sG8
— Joe Biden (@JoeBiden) October 16, 2023
Commenting on how these wars relate to the safety of the American people, he said:
“Overwhelmingly, they relate. For example, in Ukraine one of my objectives was to prevent Putin, who has committed war crimes himself, from being able to occupy an independent country that borders NATO allies and is on the Russian border. Imagine what happens now if he were able to succeed. Have you ever known a major war in Europe we didn’t get sucked into? We don’t want that to happen. We want to make sure those democracies are sustained. And Ukraine is critical in making sure that happens.”
CNN notes that one of the pillars of President Biden’s administration has been the reestablishment of America’s global leadership. The White House contends that this effort is underpinned by the President’s extensive lifetime of experience and his comprehensive worldview. According to his allies, these factors will serve as the compass guiding his decisions in the face of complex and turbulent geopolitical dynamics, including issues such as support for Israel, financial aid to Ukraine, and diplomatic relations with Iran.
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