U.S. President Joe Biden has requested a massive $105 billion security package from Congress that includes $61 billion in military aid for Ukraine and $14 billion for Israel, the White House said on October 20, a day after Biden linked Russia's invasion of Ukraine and Hamas, designated a terrorist organization by the EU and the United States, in the Gaza Strip in a major speech.
The funding request is necessary to advance national security and support U.S. allies and partners, a White House statement said. The funding will mean that Israel will receive help to secure the release of hostages and extend humanitarian assistance to civilians caught in the fighting that broke out after the "horrific terrorist attack by Hamas," the statement said.
The request for Ukraine will provide training, equipment, and weapons necessary to help it “defend and recapture its sovereign territory and protect the Ukrainian people against Russian aggression.”
Biden laid the groundwork for the request in a speech on October 19 in which he said President Vladimir Putin's invasion of Ukraine and the actions of Hamas gunmen in the Gaza Strip who attacked Israel earlier this month were threats to global democracy.
"Hamas and Putin represent different threats, but they share this in common: They both want to annihilate a neighboring democracy," Biden said, adding the funds were “a smart investment” that will “pay dividends for American security for generations."
The Kremlin slammed Biden's "rhetoric," saying it "is hardly befitting of responsible national leaders, and such rhetoric is hardly acceptable to us."
Ahead of his speech, the White House said Biden spoke with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy to reiterate Washington's support for Kyiv in the face of Russia’s full-scale invasion, launched in February 2022.
Afterward, Zelenskiy thanked Biden for his "powerful address."
"Together, we will not allow hatred [to] destroy freedom, and we will not let terrorists destroy democracy. Our common goal is to protect the free way of life for all of our nations," he wrote in a post on X, formerly Twitter.
"The unwavering bipartisan support for Ukraine in the United States is incredibly encouraging for all of our warriors and for our entire nation. America’s investment in Ukraine’s defense will ensure long-term security for all of Europe and the world," Zelenskiy added.
The package also includes funds for Taiwan and U.S. border security, the White House statement said.
The request comes amid recent warnings from the Biden administration that time is running out to prevent Ukraine, which is struggling with a grueling counteroffensive as its weapons supplies dwindle, from faltering as it seeks to repel Russian troops.
Congress will have to approve the new funds. At present, however, legislative work in the United States is largely at a standstill because the House of Representatives has no speaker. It is also uncertain whether such a package would pass, as support for military aid to Ukraine has been uneven in recent months with even some Democrats questioning how much money should go to Kyiv.
Ivo Daalder, a former U.S. ambassador to NATO and chief executive officer of the Chicago Council on Global Affairs, told RFE/RL that by linking Israeli and Ukrainian aid, Biden has made it difficult for Congress to reject the aid package.
If the aid package is approved, it "undermines once again Vladimir Putin's calculation that the West is about to collapse when it comes to supporting Ukraine."
"You understand, if you're living in Russia, that Ukraine is not going to go away. That they will have continued military capabilities to fight," he said.
Biden said a failure to support Ukraine and Israel, which appears poised to launch a ground attack on Hamas militants in response to their incursion last week into Israeli territory that left more than 1,400 Israeli citizens dead, will jeopardize U.S. security and its status of a "partner other nations want to work with."
"To put all that at risk, if we walk away from Ukraine, if we turn our backs on Israel -- it's just not worth it," Biden, speaking hours after a lightning trip to Israel to show support for Jerusalem, said in his address.
He added that making decisions during times of war “requires asking very hard questions” and "clarity about the objectives and an honest assessment about whether the path you are on will achieve those objectives."
He noted that since the invasion of Ukraine was launched, Putin and other senior Russian lawmakers have threatened Poland, Latvia, Lithuania, and Estonia, all members of NATO.
Biden said that if Moscow carried out an attack on those countries, or any other member of the military alliance, the United States "will defend every inch of NATO."
"We’ll have something that we do not seek," he said. "We do not seek to have American troops fighting in Russia or against Russia."
“We cannot and will not let terrorists like Hamas and tyrants like Putin win. I refuse to let that happen," Biden said.