- The Senate on Tuesday approved a $95 billion aid package for Ukraine, Israel and Taiwan
- But it will likely face stiff opposition in the Republican-controlled House of Representatives
President Joe Biden delivered a blistering attack on his predecessor Donald Trump on Tuesday as he urged Republicans to back a spending bill that would send $60 billion to Ukraine for its fight against Russia.
He accused opponents of “playing into Putin’s hands” when he used the backdrop of the State Dining Room to bring the election campaign to the White House.
“Are you going to stand with Ukraine or are you going to stay with Putin,” he said in an impassioned speech. “Or are you going to stand with America, or with Trump?”
His speech came hours after the Senate passed a long-sought $95 billion military aid package for Ukraine, Israel and Taiwan. It will certainly face stiff opposition in the Republican-controlled House of Representatives.
Biden used the issue to condemn Trump for undermining NATO’s core principle, when the former president said he would not want to protect his allies from a future attack from Russia if they did not meet their defense spending obligations fulfilled.
Joe Biden brought the election campaign to the White House on Tuesday, calling former President Donald Trump “stupid” as he called for more aid to Ukraine
“No other president in history has ever bowed to a Russian dictator,” he said.
‘Let me say this as clearly as possible. I will never. For God sake. It’s stupid. It’s shameful, it’s dangerous.’
Last week, Trump told a rally crowd how he apparently told a fellow world leader that he would encourage Russia to “do whatever they want” to countries that fail to meet their goals.
Republicans, under Trump’s influence, have opposed foreign military aid packages that do not include money to secure the border with Mexico. Yet Senate Republicans last week torpedoed a bill that did just that.
Meanwhile, the White House has stepped up its messaging efforts. In a memo released Tuesday, an official linked the security law to efforts to rein in Iran and its territorial ambitions.
“A vote in the House of Representatives against American national security is a vote to appease and strengthen the Iranian regime. Period,” wrote spokesman Andrew Bates.
“Iran is an integral part of Putin’s war effort in Ukraine, supplying him with weapons and financial support. Right now the Russians are killing Ukrainian civilians with Iranian drones.
Iran is even considering supplying Russia with short-range ballistic missiles. Iran and Russia are also integrating their economies closer together.”
Republicans who block the bill, he writes, would simply strengthen Iran’s hand.
The US has had to cut military aid to Ukraine after budget authority dried up. The two-year anniversary of the Russian invasion is approaching
Earlier, Biden urged the House to pass the bill and send it to his desk as soon as possible.
‘We cannot afford to wait any longer. The cost of inaction is rising every day, especially in Ukraine,” he said.
“We are already seeing reports that Ukrainian troops on the front lines are running out of ammunition, while Russian forces continue to attack and Putin continues to dream of subjugating the Ukrainian people.”
Ukrainian officials have repeatedly warned that they cannot stop Russian attacks without more help.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky celebrated the bill’s passage. #”American assistance brings a just peace in Ukraine closer and restores global stability, resulting in greater security and prosperity for all Americans and the entire free world,” he posted on the social media platform X.
