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Hamas is sufficiently depleted, says Biden

Nearly eight months into the war, however, cracks have emerged between the close allies over what defeating Hamas actually looks like…reports Asian Lite News

At the start of its devastating offensive on the Gaza Strip, Israel set an ambitious goal: destroy Hamas. At the time, the Biden administration committed to the objective, giving Israel considerable stocks of weaponry and voicing its support.

Nearly eight months into the war, however, cracks have emerged between the close allies over what defeating Hamas actually looks like. Last week, U.S. President Joe Biden said the militant group was no longer capable of launching an attack on Israel like the Oct. 7 attack that triggered the war and that it was time for the fighting to end. Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and far-right ministers disagree.

Where the U.S. seeks a quick end to the fighting, Israel’s leadership appears determined to push onward.

Biden on Friday said it was time to end the Israel-Hamas war, signaling that the objective of destroying Hamas had already been met because the militant group was “no longer capable” of carrying out a large-scale attack on Israel like the one on Oct. 7.

That day, Hamas militants astonished Israel with a large-scale assault, killing some 1,200 people and dragging about 250 hostages back to Gaza as rocket fire targeted Israeli cities and towns.

In the nearly eight months since then, Israel says its air and ground offensive has significantly depleted Hamas’ military capabilities. It claims to have killed 15,000 militants, half of Hamas’ fighting force, and wounded thousands of others. It also says it has destroyed a significant portion of Gaza’s labyrinthine tunnel network, command and control centers and rocket launchers.

Biden appeared Friday to believe this was enough to satisfy Israel’s objective. He urged Israel and Hamas to reach an agreement to release about 85 remaining hostages, along with the bodies of around 40 more, for an extended cease-fire.

In response to Biden’s suggestion that Hamas was significantly depleted, Netanyahu said Israel would not agree to a permanent cease-fire until “the destruction of Hamas’ military and governing capabilities, the freeing of all hostages and ensuring that Gaza no longer poses a threat to Israel.”

The Israeli army says the eradication of Hamas is still incomplete, with battalions of militants remaining in the southernmost city of Rafah and fighting still raging in Gaza’s north. Hamas has continued to launch rockets into Israel, although with far lower intensity than in the first months of war. The extent of the group’s governance across the strip remains unclear, though no alternative has emerged.

Still, Netanyahu admits it may be impossible to fully stamp out the ideology of Hamas, which seized control of Gaza in 2007, a year after winning legislative elections against the rival Fatah party. Hamas has managed to survive despite a 16-year blockade imposed by Israel and Egypt, and four previous wars against Israel.

“Hamas has to be eliminated, not as an idea,” Netanyahu said in late March. “Nazism was not destroyed as an idea in World World II, but Nazis don’t govern Germany.”

The far-right firebrands within Israel’s ultranationalist government have staunchly rejected Biden’s cease-fire proposal, saying Israel must continue its war in Gaza until the militant group is completely stamped out.

Israel’s minister of national security, Itamar Ben-Gvir, and Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich have both threatened to leave Netanyahu’s government if he endorsed Biden’s proposal. That would cause the coalition to collapse.

Smotrich said Monday that agreeing to a cease-fire would amount to a humiliation of Israel and a surrender. Increased military pressure, he said, is “the only language understood in the Middle East.”

Ben-Gvir has called for the “voluntary” emigration of Palestinians from Gaza and for a return of Israeli settlements. Israel unilaterally pulled out of more than 20 Jewish settlements in Gaza in 2005, ending a 38-year presence.

ALSO READ: Trump campaign raises $141m in May

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Trump video mentions ‘unified Reich’, Biden calls it ‘Hitler’s language’

Trump is using “Hitler’s language. That’s not America’s,” Biden said in a campaign video released on Tuesday…reports Asian Lite News

US President Joe Biden has accused his predecessor and likely election opponent Donald Trump of using Nazi rhetoric following the publication of a video referencing a “unified Reich.”

Trump is using “Hitler’s language. That’s not America’s,” Biden said in a campaign video released on Tuesday.

In the short clip, the Democrat holds a phone in his hand and says, referencing the video: “Is this on his official account? Wow.”

On Monday, Trump shared a video, which was later deleted, on his social media site Truth Social, showing mocks of newspaper articles that would be written if Trump won the presidential election in November.

Among the bits of text featured was a subheading referring to “the creation of a unified Reich.” The term “empire” in German is often associated with the Third Reich under Adolf Hitler’s Nazi regime from 1933-1945.

The word Reich in the video presumably refers to the founding of the German Reich in 1871, with the text being taken from a Wikipedia entry on World War I, according to US media.

According to the reports, the video was created using a ready-made newspaper article mask. It has also been used in other clips circulating online.

Other newspaper headlines in the video published on Trump’s platform also make reference to World War I.

Trump’s team later confirmed that the clip had been removed from his account. A spokeswoman for his campaign team said that it “was not a campaign video, it was created by a random account online and reposted by a staffer who clearly did not see the word.”

Biden also attacked the Republican, who is hoping to return to the White House, at a campaign event in Boston on Tuesday.

The 81-year-old said that “the threat that Trump poses is greater in the second term than it was in the first,” according to reporters travelling with him. He called Trump “a little unhinged” and accused him of seeking revenge after losing the 2020 presidential election.

Biden and Trump are guaranteed to face off on November 5 in a rematch of the 2020 vote after both achieved the required number of delegates to be nominated as candidates of the Democratic and Republican parties, respectively.

Trump has been using radical rhetoric in his election campaign, including hateful and dehumanizing language, as well as making racist statements and inciting hatred against minorities. The 77-year-old also compared Biden’s government to the Gestapo, the official secret police of Nazi Germany.

ALSO READ: Biden Criticizes Trump as ‘Unhinged’ Amid Video Controversy

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Biden slams ICC’s request to arrest Netanyahu

US president insists Israel and Hamas cannot be compared after ICC seeks warrants over alleged Israeli war crimes…reports Asian Lite News

President Joe Biden has defended Israel against war crimes charges in the world’s top courts.

Biden’s remarks came after Karim Khan, the chief prosecutor of the International Criminal Court (ICC), said he was seeking arrest warrants for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Minister of Defence Yoav Gallant over alleged war crimes committed during the war in Gaza.

“Let me be clear, we reject the ICC’s application for arrest warrants against Israeli leaders,” Biden said at a Jewish American Heritage Month event at the White House on Monday, the same day Khan announced he was applying for the arrest warrants for Netanyahu and Gallant, as well as Hamas leaders over alleged war crimes.

“There is no equivalence between Israel and Hamas,” Biden added. Hours earlier, he had issued a strongly-worded statement saying that the ICC warrants were “outrageous”.

Israel is also facing a separate case on alleged genocide at the International Court of Justice (ICJ), which was brought by South Africa. Biden said that Israel is not committing genocide in Gaza.

“Contrary to allegations against Israel made by the International Court of Justice (ICJ), what’s happening in Gaza is not genocide. We reject that,” Biden said in his speech.

In January, the ICJ ruled there was a plausible risk of genocide in Gaza, ordering Israel to take a series of provisional measures, including preventing any genocidal acts from taking place.

While Biden’s defence of Israel was met with warm applause at the White House event, his election campaign has been marred by pro-Palestinian protests across the US, with some antiwar advocates labelling the president “Genocide Joe”.

The ICC prosecutor outlined specific charges against Netanyahu and Gallant, including “starvation of civilians as a method of warfare” and “extermination”, although he said his full investigation was ongoing.

Khan also applied for arrest warrants for three Hamas leaders – Yahya Sinwar, Mohammed Diab Ibrahim al-Masri (also known as Deif) and Ismail Haniyeh – for war crimes and crimes against humanity, including extermination and murder, the taking of captives, torture, rape and other acts of sexual violence.

The charges were supported by evidence prepared by a panel of experts that included international human rights lawyer Amal Clooney.

In a statement issued on the report prepared by the experts, Clooney wrote, “I do not accept that any conflict should be beyond the reach of the law, nor that any perpetrator should be above the law.”

“My colleagues and I look forward to make sure neither Khan, his associates nor their families will ever set foot again in the United States,” Republican Senator Tom Cotton wrote on X.

The ICC is the world’s first permanent international war crimes court and its 124 member states are obliged to immediately arrest the wanted person if they are on a member state’s territory.

The US is not a member of the ICC and its “biggest leverage” could be to pressure its allies – mostly European nations which are signatories to the ICC – to not act on the warrants, said Al Jazeera’s Heidi Zhou-Castro, reporting from Washington, DC.

Lawmakers seek sanctions to “punish” ICC  

United States lawmakers are contemplating imposing sanctions on the International Criminal Court (ICC) if it issues an arrest warrant for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, US House Speaker Mike Johnson said.

“In the absence of leadership from the White House, Congress is reviewing all options, including sanctions, to punish the ICC and ensure its leadership faces consequences if they proceed. If the ICC is allowed to threaten Israeli leaders, ours could be next,” the US House Speaker said in a statement on Monday (local time).

He further said “The ICC has no authority over Israel or the United States, and today’s baseless and illegitimate decision should face global condemnation.”

Republican lawmakers on Monday called for the United States to impose sanctions on the ICC.

House Republican Conference Chair Elise Stefanik told the New York Post that “The ICC is an illegitimate court that equivocates a peaceful nation protecting its right to exist with radical terror groups that commit genocide”. Stefanik met with Netanyahu on Monday morning as the warrants were announced.

House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries in a statement called the warrants “shameful and unserious.”

Earlier this month, Representative Texas introduced the Illegitimate Court Counteraction Act to revoke visas for ICC officials who investigate or prosecute US officials or American allies.

Meanwhile, human rights attorney Amal Clooney is among the experts who advised the ICC prosecutor to seek the arrest warrants.

The wife of actor George Clooney in a statement said explained how she had found herself advising ICC chief prosecutor Khan.

“I served on this panel because I believe in the rule of law and the need to protect civilian lives. The law that protects civilians in war was developed more than 100 years ago and it applies in every country in the world regardless of the reasons for a conflict,” Clooney said in the statement shared on the shared on the Clooney Foundation for Justice website.

ALSO READ: No Genocide in Gaza, Repeats Biden

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‘Gaza protests won’t hurt Biden’s reelection bid’

The White House optimism on the issue, which is shared by many in the Biden campaign, runs contrary to warnings from some Democratic strategists and youth organizers…reports Asian Lite News

Several top White House aides say they are confident protests across US college campuses against Israel’s offensive in Gaza will not translate into significantly fewer votes for Joe Biden in November’s election, despite polls showing many Democrats are deeply unhappy about the US president’s policy on the war.

The White House optimism on the issue, which is shared by many in the Biden campaign, runs contrary to dire warnings from some Democratic strategists and youth organizers who warn misjudging the situation could cost Biden dearly in a tight race with Republican rival Donald Trump.

Several aides said they are advising Biden to remain above the fray, rather than directly engage with the relatively small groups of protesters on college campuses, arguing their numbers are too insignificant to harm the president’s reelection campaign.

Faced with a choice between Biden and Trump in November, many officials remain confident even Democrats who oppose US policy will choose Biden. 

The issue returns to the spotlight Sunday, when Biden makes the commencement address at Morehouse College, over some objections by students and faculty, and a warning from the college’s president that the ceremony will stop if there are protests.

Most officials said they believe housing costs and inflation were the issues top of mind for young voters, not the war in Gaza, pointing to a recent Harvard poll that ranks Israel/Palestine 15th on a list of issues, after taxes, gun violence and jobs. Several aides refer to the protesters as “activists” rather than students.

Asked for comment on the issue, White House senior deputy press secretary Andrew Bates said Biden understands this is a painful moment for many communities and is listening. He has said too many civilians have died in the “heartbreaking” conflict and that more must be done to prevent the loss of innocent lives, Bates added.

Biden and Trump are nearly tied in national polls, and Trump has the edge in the battleground states that will decide the election, multiple recent polls show. On economic issues like inflation, Trump scores higher with voters overall than Biden.

A new poll found Democrats deeply divided over Biden’s handling of both the war in Gaza and the US campus protests against it, with 44 percent of registered Democrats disapproving of Biden’s handling of the crisis, and 51 percent of his handling of the protests.

Young voters still favor Biden, but support has dropped significantly since 2020, polls show. A poll in March showed Americans aged 18-29 favored Biden over Trump by just 3 percentage points — 29 percent to 26 percent — with the rest favoring another candidate or unsure if anyone would get their vote.

Two White House officials emphasized Biden’s support among young voters is not where it was in 2020 and said they worry the administration is not taking the drop seriously enough.

With over 35,000 Palestinians killed in Gaza since war began in October, US support for Israel’s government could weigh heavily on the presidential election in November, they said.

“There is almost a level of defiance when it comes to some of the president’s closest advisers on this issue,” said a senior White House official with direct knowledge of the matter, who did not wish to be named. “They think the best approach is to simply steer clear and let it pass.”

Protests over Israel’s war in Gaza have broken out at more than 60 colleges and universities this year, disrupted Biden’s events around the country, pushed Democrats in key battleground states to vote “uncommitted” and divided the Democratic party.

Biden, who is known for saying what he thinks, even when it’s not politically beneficial, has been cautious on the issue of protests over Gaza. He spoke in early May on the importance of following the law, while defending free speech and later on addressed the threat of antisemitism on college campuses.

Both times, he mostly avoided the issue that has sparked the protests — how young Americans feel about his support for Israel. But he also said bluntly that protests will not change his Middle East policy.

Groups organizing the protests say that a recent halt to some weapons to Israel was too little too late, and are planning fresh demonstrations, though the summer break may quieten action on campuses.

Michele Weindling, political director of the climate-focused youth group the Sunrise Movement, said “young people are incredibly disillusioned, they are angry at the way the president has treated this conflict.”

“A huge risk right now is that young voters will completely stay out of the electoral system this November, or deliberately vote against Biden out of anger,” Weindling said.

That has the potential to cost Biden dearly, given 61 percent of the more than half of Americans aged 18 to 29 that voted in the 2020 general election voted Democratic, a Tufts University research group found. The youth turnout was up 11 points from 2016.

ALSO READ: US Presses Israel for Gaza Strategy Amid Conflict

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Trump, Biden set to debate in June, Sept

The first debate by CNN will be held on June 27, while the second debate will be held on September 10 by ABC News….reports Asian Lite News

President Joe Biden and his predecessor Donald Trump are set for a heated face-off in June and September, as the two leaders eyeing their second White House bid have accepted the invitation for debate, that will set the tone for the final months of the 2024 campaign, CNN reported.

The first debate by CNN will be held on June 27, while the second debate will be held on September 10 by ABC News.

President Biden confirmed that he has accepted the invitation from both CNN and ABC for the debates and threw the ball into Trump’s park.

“I’ve received and accepted an invitation from @CNN for a debate on June 27th. Over to you, Donald. As you said: anywhere, any time, any place,” Biden said in a post on X.

“I’ve also received and accepted an invitation to a debate hosted by ABC on Tuesday, September 10th. Trump says he’ll arrange his own transportation. I’ll bring my plane, too. I plan on keeping it for another four years,” he said in a subsequent post.

Donald Trump, who is seeking his return to the White House after a sour exit in 2020, also accepted the invitation for debate. Making the announcement, he slammed “crooked” Biden calling him the “worst President” in US history.

“It is my great honor to accept the CNN Debate against Crooked Joe Biden, the WORST PRESIDENT in the History of the United States and a true Threat to Democracy, on June 27th. Likewise, I accept the ABC News Debate against Crooked Joe on September 10th. Thank you, DJT!” Trump posted on Truth Social platform.

Earlier on Wednesday, Biden challenged Trump for the debate in a video. “Donald Trump lost two debates to me in 2020. Since then, he hasn’t shown up for debate. Now he’s acting like he wants to debate me again.”

“Well, make my day, pal. I’ll even do it twice. So let’s pick the dates, Donald. I hear you’re free on Wednesdays,” the US President said as he taunted Trump.

In a rather immediate response to the challenge,

Lashing out at Biden, Trump stated, “Crooked Joe Biden is the WORST debater I have ever faced – He can’t put two sentences together! Crooked is also the WORST President in the history of the United States, by far.”

He attacked Biden over what he called a “highly destructive Open Border Policy, new and ridiculous EV Mandates, the allowance of Crushing Inflation, High Taxes, and his weak Foreign Policy.”

Trump said he would like to see more than two debates and for “excitement purposes, a very large venue.”

“Just tell me when I’ll be there. Let’s get ready to Rumble!!!” the former President added in his Truth Social post.

Trump and Biden will be facing off in the presidential elections scheduled for November this year.

While Biden is facing the challenge against some of domestic issues and his foreign policy — particularly the conflict in Ukraine and Gaza; Trump is under the hassle of multiple criminal cases. (ANI)

ALSO READ: Biden Pushes for Reform in 2024 Presidential Debates

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Top Biden official doubts Israel can achieve ‘total victory’ in Gaza

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has repeatedly vowed to achieve “total victory” against Hamas…reports Asian Lite News

The Biden administration does not see it likely or possible that Israel will achieve “total victory” in defeating Hamas in the Palestinian enclave of Gaza, US Deputy Secretary of State Kurt Campbell said on Monday.

While US officials have urged Israel to help devise a clear plan for the governance post-war Gaza, Campbell’s comments are the clearest to date from a top US official effectively admitting that Israel’s current military strategy won’t bring the result that it is aiming for.

“In some respects, we are struggling over what the theory of victory is,” Campbell said at a NATO Youth Summit in Miami. “Sometimes when we listen closely to Israeli leaders, they talk about mostly the idea of….a sweeping victory on the battlefield, total victory,” he said.

“I don’t think we believe that that is likely or possible and that this looks a lot like situations that we found ourselves in after 9/11, where, after civilian populations had been moved and lots of violence that…the insurrections continue.”

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has repeatedly vowed to achieve “total victory” against Hamas, the Palestinian militant group that attacked Israel on Oct. 7 and killed 1,200 people and took 250 others hostage.

In response, Israel unleashed a relentless assault on the Gaza Strip, killing more than 35,000 people, according to the figures of the Gazan health ministry, and reducing the densely populated tiny enclave to a wasteland.

Campbell’s comments come as Washington is warning Israel not to go ahead with a major military offensive in Rafah, the southernmost city of the Gaza Strip where over a million people who have already been displaced by Israeli attacks are taking shelter.

Likening the situation in Gaza to that of a recurring insurgency that the United States faced in Afghanistan and Iraq after its invasions there following the Sept. 11 attacks, Campbell said a political solution was required.

“I think we view that there has to be more of a political solution…What’s different from the past in that sense, many countries want to move toward a political solution in which the rights of Palestinians are more respected,” he said.

“I don’t think it’s ever been more difficult than right now,” he added.

ALSO READ: Indian UN Employee First Foreign Victim in Gaza Conflict

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Jaishankar Corrects Biden After He Calls India ‘Xenophobic’

New Delhi: External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar addresses at the first Foreign Ministers' Session of the 2nd Voice of the Global South Summit

Joe Biden had said the “xenophobic” nature of India, China, Japan and Russia is responsible for their economic troubles and argued that America’s economy is growing because it welcomes immigrants to its soil, reports Asian Lite News

External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar has rejected recent remarks by US President Joe Biden describing India as “xenophobic” and emphasised that the country has been open and welcoming to people from diverse societies.

Speaking to the Economic Times, Jaishankar also refuted the allegation that the Indian economy was faltering. The Union Minister said that the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) introduced by Prime Minister Narendra Modi-led government showcases India’s welcoming approach.

On April 2, Biden had said the “xenophobic” nature of India, China, Japan and Russia is responsible for their economic troubles and argued that America’s economy is growing because it welcomes immigrants to its soil. He made the statement while campaigning for his re-election at Washington fundraising event and argued that Japan, along with Russia and China, would perform better economically if the countries embraced immigration more.

“Why? Because we welcome immigrants. We look to — the reason — look, think about it. Why is China stalling so badly economically? Why is Japan having trouble? Why is Russia? Why is India? Because they’re xenophobic. They don’t want immigrants,” Biden said.

Jaishankar said in the interview published on Saturday said, “First of all, our economy is not faltering.”

“India is always… India has been a very unique country… I would say actually, in the history of the world, that it’s been a society which has been very open… different people from different societies come to India,” he said.

(Credit: X@POTUS)

Jaishankar stated that Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) introduced by Prime Minister Narendra Modi-led government showcases India’s welcoming approach.

He said, “That’s why we have the CAA (Citizenship Amendment Act), which is to open up doors for people who are in trouble… I think we should be open to people who have the need to come to India, who have a claim to come to India.”

Rejecting the criticism of CAA, Jaishankar said, “There are people who publicly said on record that because of CAA, a million Muslims will lose their citizenship in this country.” He further said, “Why are they not being held to account? Because nobody has lost citizenship.”

During the roundtable on The Economic Times, Jaishankar also spoke on the ongoing anti-Israel protests in American university campuses and criticised a section of the Western media for its biased coverage, suggesting that it is “very ideological” and not “objective” reporting. He said that this section of media wants to shape the global narrative and is targeting India.

In response to a question on reports claiming India’s involvement in targeted killings of terrorists in Pakistan, Jaishankar said, “Terrorists are there in large numbers. Statistically, where they will be in large numbers, things will happen to them. Now they have created an industry which is the terrorist’s industry… things could happen there.”

Meanwhile, hours after Biden termed India, Japan and other nations, “xenophobic,” the White House clarified the President’s intentions, emphasising his “respect” for allies and partners.

White House Press Secretary Karine Jean Pierre asserted that the President’s comments were part of a broader message emphasising the strength derived from America’s immigrant heritage. She stressed that Biden’s focus remains on bolstering diplomatic relationships with nations such as India and Japan, evident in his actions over the past three years.

“Obviously, we have a strong relationship with, India with Japan, and the President if you just look at the last three years has certainly focused on those diplomatic relationships,” she said. (ANI)

ALSO READ: Canada Arrests 3 Accused in Nijjar Murder

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Biden says Israel must allow aid to Palestinians

US-Israel relations have been strained by Israel’s conduct of the war in Gaza…reports Asian Lite News

President Joe Biden on Wednesday demanded that new humanitarian aid be allowed to immediately reach Palestinians in the Gaza Strip as key US ally Israel fights Hamas there.

“We’re going to immediately secure that aid and surge it… including food, medical supplies, clean water,” Biden said after signing a massive military aid bill for Israel and Ukraine, which also included $1 billion in humanitarian aid for Gaza.

“Israel must make sure all this aid reaches the Palestinians in Gaza without delay,” he said.

US-Israel relations have been strained by Israel’s conduct of the war in Gaza and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s plan to send troops into the southern Gazan city of Rafah, where 1.5 million people are sheltering, many in makeshift encampments.

“This bill significantly — significantly — increases humanitarian assistance we’re sending to the innocent people of Gaza who are suffering badly,” Biden said.

“They’re suffering the consequences of this war that Hamas started, and we’ve been working intently for months to get as much aid to Gaza as possible.”

Meanwhile, Israel’s military is poised to evacuate Palestinian civilians from Rafah and assault Hamas hold-outs in the southern Gaza Strip city, a senior Israeli defense official said on Wednesday, despite international warnings of humanitarian catastrophe.

A spokesperson for Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s government said Israel was “moving ahead” with a ground operation, but gave no timeline.

The defense official said Israel’s Defense Ministry had bought 40,000 tents, each with the capacity for 10 to 12 people, to house Palestinians relocated from Rafah in advance of an assault.

Video circulating online appeared to show rows of square white tents going up in Khan Younis, a city some 5 km (3 miles) from Rafah. Reuters could not verify the video but reviewed images from satellite company Maxar Technologies which showed tent camps on Khan Younis land that had been vacant weeks ago.

An Israeli government source said Netanyahu’s war cabinet planned to meet in the coming two weeks to authorize civilian evacuations, expected to take around a month.

The defense official, who requested anonymity, told Reuters that the military could go into action immediately but was awaiting a green light from Netanyahu.

Rafah, which abuts the Egyptian border, is sheltering more than a million Palestinians who fled the half-year-old Israeli offensive through the rest of Gaza, and say the prospect of fleeing yet again is terrifying.

“I have to make a decision whether to leave Rafah because my mother and I are afraid an invasion could happen suddenly and we won’t get time to escape,” said Aya, 30, who has been living temporarily in the city with her family in a school.

She said that some families recently moved to a refugee camp in coastal Al-Mawasi, but their tents caught fire when tank shells landed nearby. “Where do we go?“

ALSO READ: Blinken calls for US, China to manage differences

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‘Biden will send air defence weapons, artillery after approval’

US President Joe Biden, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky(photo:instagram)

Zelensky said in a posting on X that Biden also assured him that a coming package of aid would also include long-range and artillery capabilities….reports Asian Lite News

President Joe Biden told Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy on Monday the US will send badly needed air defence weaponry once the Senate approves a massive national security aid package that includes $61 billion for Ukraine.

Zelensky said in a posting on X that Biden also assured him that a coming package of aid would also include long-range and artillery capabilities.

Ukraine is awaiting US Senate approval after the House this weekend approved the $95 billion package that also includes aid for other allies.

It comes after months of delay as some Republican lawmakers opposed further funding for Ukraine and threatened to oust Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., if he allowed a vote to take place.

Kyiv badly needs new firepower as Moscow has stepped up its attacks against an outgunned Ukraine. The Senate is expected to vote on the package this week, and Biden has promised to quickly sign it into law.

Zelenskyy said he and Biden also discussed Russia’s air terror using thousands of missiles, drones and bombs including a strike on the Kharkiv TV tower just minutes before they spoke.

Russia clearly signals its intention to make the city uninhabitable, Zelenskky said

Russia has exploited air defence shortages in Kharkiv, Ukraine’s second-largest city, to pummel the region’s energy infrastructure and harm its 1.3 million residents. Some officials and analysts warn it could be a concerted effort by Moscow to shape conditions for a summer offensive to seize the city.

The White House in a statement confirmed that Biden told Zelenskyy that his administration will quickly provide significant new security assistance packages to meet Ukraine’s urgent battlefield and air defense needs as soon as the Senate passes the national security supplemental and he signs it into law.”

President Biden also underscored that the US economic assistance will help maintain financial stability, build back critical infrastructure following Russian attacks, and support reform as Ukraine moves forward on the path of Euro-Atlantic integration, according to the White House.

Meanwhile, a bipartisan delegation of US Congress members on Monday met with Zelenskyy in Kyiv. The delegation included Reps. Tom Kean Jr., R-N.J., Nathaniel Moran, R-Texas, Bill Keating, D-Mass., and Madeleine Deane, D-Pa.

Kean told reporters we know that the needs of Ukraine are urgent and US aid is crucial to stem the tide of Russia’s assaults.

Kean said Biden should use the authority in the bill to quickly deliver to Ukraine the weapons that it has requested, including the longer-range Army Tactical Missile System, known as ATACMS.

Zelenskyy said that he discussed with the US lawmakers Ukraine’s need for artillery shells, long-range missiles, electronic warfare equipment, unmanned aerial vehicles, combat aviation and support in developing the Ukrainian defence industry.

They also discussed Ukraine’s bid to eventually join NATO, US participation in an international conference in Switzerland in June aimed at charting a path toward peace in Ukraine, and other issues.

ALSO READ: Biden administration passes bill that could lead to TikTok ban

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Biden considers Australia’s request to drop Assange case

The 52-year-old is currently in Britain awaiting extradition to the US. It has been five years since he was incarcerated in the Belmarsh prison…reports Asian Lite News

The US is “considering” Australia’s request to drop its persecution push against WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange, said President Joe Biden on Wednesday.

Assange is wanted in the US on criminal charges over the release of confidential US military and diplomatic records in 2010. He has been indicted on 17 espionage charges and one charge of computer misuse.

The 52-year-old is currently in Britain awaiting extradition to the US. It has been five years since he was incarcerated in the Belmarsh prison.

If convicted, he could face up to 175 years in prison.

He was supposed to be extradited in March, but it was put on hold after the UK High Court said the US must assure he would not face the death penalty.

Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has been supportive of Assange’s release and said the issue had been raised with the US government at all levels. He said the comment from Biden was “encouraging.”

“I believe this must be brought to a conclusion and that Mr Assange has already paid a significant price, and enough is enough. There’s nothing to be gained by Mr Assange’s continued incarceration, in my very strong view. And I’ve put that as the view of the Australian government,” Albanese said.

Australia argues there are discrepancies between the treatment of Assange and US Army intelligence analyst Chelsea Manning, who was convicted of stealing diplomatic cables and military files that WikiLeaks published.

Manning’s 35-year sentence was commuted to seven years by former US President Barack Obama, and she was released in 2017.

One of Assange’s lawyers, Barry Pollack, said also Biden’s remarks were encouraging.

Supporters of Assange say he is being persecuted as his work revealed US wrongdoing, especially in the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq. They argue he is an anti-establishment journalist, who remains protected by the First Amendment of the US Constitution.

Several rights groups and countries such as Germany, Mexico and Brazil have also opposed his extradition to the US.

ALSO READ: UK, US and Australia say Japan could join Aukus pact