International

During a primetime address on Thursday night, President Biden drew a direct link between Russia's invasion of Ukraine and Hamas attack on Israel and called on Congress to help him defeat both threats.

Biden urged Congress on Thursday to approve billions of dollars in funding for Israel following Hamas' surprise attack — and for Ukraine in its ongoing war with Russia.
     The sweeping emergency funding request is reportedly likely to total around $100 billion, with $60 billion for Ukraine and $10 billion for Israel.
     Any funding request has to pass the Senate and the Republican-led House, which has been without a speaker for more than two weeks.

Biden sought to strike a contrast with the isolationist views of some of his Republican rivals during his rare primetime address.

Many Republican candidates vying for the nominee in 2024, including former President Trump, appear skeptical of boosting U.S. military aid abroad in the aftermath of Hamas' attack on Israel.
     Biden also tried to convince skeptical Americans of the importance of sending aid to its allies abroad, a position that divides the public.
     "Hamas and Putin represent different threats. But they share this in common: They both want to completely annihilate a neighboring democracy," Biden said Thursday.

"We cannot and will not let terrorists like Hamas and tyrants like Putin win, I refuse to let that happen."