Can the United States continue to arm Ukraine, even as it accelerates military support to Israel? Will Washington have to make a choice between the two conflicts? And if so, which one should be prioritised?
Right now, the US is full steam ahead on supporting Israel and ensuring its closest partner in the Middle East has what it needs to eradicate Hamas, a terrorist organisation that committed the worst attack on Israeli soil since the state’s founding 75 years ago. Ukraine, like Israel, is also in the fight of its life and is campaigning for long-term US military support, calls Biden is sympathetic too.
With aid to Ukraine becoming a divisive issue in the US and Europe’s security arguably more impacted by how the war proceeds, one would think the White House would devote as much time pushing its European allies into owning the Ukraine file as it does in lobbying Capitol Hill for more funds.
For President Joe Biden, the question of priorities is immaterial. “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,” he told CBS 60 Minutes’ Scott Pelley on October 15. “We can take care of both of these and still maintain our overall international defense.”
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