“Freedom is not free. It requires constant vigilance,” Biden said (File)
Washington, United States:
President Joe Biden reiterated on Saturday that he has no plans to send American soldiers to Ukraine as he praised American leadership in the world – implicitly responding to accusations of weakness from Republican rival Donald Trump.
“There are no American soldiers at war in Ukraine. I am committed to keeping it that way, but we stand strong with Ukraine, and we will stand with them,” the Democrat said as he addressed the graduates of the prestigious West Point. Military academy.
Russian President Vladimir Putin, whom he described as “a ruthless tyrant,” was “confident that NATO would fall apart” after invading his Eastern European neighbor in February 2022, Biden said.
“Instead, the greatest defense alliance in the history of the world is stronger than ever,” he said.
Last month, US lawmakers approved a long-delayed $61 billion military aid deal for Kiev, after months of wrangling in Congress as Ukraine’s armed forces suffered battlefield setbacks due to ammunition and funding shortages.
Since then, Biden has ordered five tranches of military aid to Ukraine as Russia continues its assault on the Kharkiv region.
Biden also praised the US role in the Middle East, noting that Washington is conducting “urgent diplomacy” to secure a ceasefire and bring home hostages held by the Palestinian group Hamas.
“Thanks to America’s armed forces, we are doing what only America can do as the indispensable nation, the world’s only superpower,” he said.
The US president, who is campaigning for re-election in November, also urged the cadets to uphold their oath to “not a political party, not a president, but the Constitution of the United States of America, against all enemies, foreign and domestic .”
He called them “guardians of American democracy.”
“Freedom is not free. It requires constant vigilance,” added Biden, who is campaigning in part because of the threat Trump poses to the American political system, who has vowed to crack down on the “enemy from within” if he wins the election. White House again, and has avoided ruling out political violence if he loses.
(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)
