Biden to rally Americans on Israel, Ukraine wars

US President Joe Biden will deliver a rare Oval Office speech Thursday urging Americans to back billions of dollars in military aid for Israel and Ukraine at what he calls a perilous moment for global democracy.

Fresh from a whirlwind trip to Israel, Biden will deliver only his second address to the nation from behind the historic Resolute Desk as he tries to win over war-weary voters and hardline Republicans.

The 80-year-old Democrat, who is seeking reelection in 2024, is preparing to push Congress for a massive $100 billion package that includes funding for Israel in its war against Hamas and for Ukraine’s battle against Russia’s invasion.

Tying together two conflicts an ocean away from the United States is a bid by Biden to frame them as part of a bigger struggle to shape the world order and protect Americans at home.

“Hamas’s terrorist attacks against Israel. The need for humanitarian assistance in Gaza. Russia’s ongoing brutal war against Ukraine. We are at a global inflection point that is bigger than party or politics,” Biden said on X, formerly Twitter, ahead of the speech scheduled for 8:00 pm (0000 GMT).

US Deputy National Security Advisor Jon Finer told MSNBC that Biden would give a “message to the American people (about) how those conflicts connect to our lives back here.”

Presidents traditionally reserve speeches from the solemn setting of the Oval Office for moments of key national significance.

Biden’s only previous address from there was in June when he hailed a deal with Congress to avert what would have been a catastrophic US default.

But Congress has now been paralyzed for more than two weeks as divided Republicans struggle to elect a House speaker — in turn holding up aid for Ukraine.

Hardline Republicans, and a growing number of voters, are also strongly opposed to adding to the $43.9 billion in security assistance that the United States has committed since Moscow launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022.

Biden hopes to break the logjam by hitching it to funding for Israel, Taiwan and the southern border with Mexico. He said in Tel Aviv he would ask Congress for an “unprecedented” package for Israel’s defense this week.