Biden Archives - Defence Monitor

08 Nov

Biden believes reoccupation of Gaza by Israeli forces isn’t good: WH official

Washington, Nov 8, A senior White House official said President Joe Biden "believes that a reoccupation of Gaza by Israeli forces is not good" after Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu claimed his country "will have the overall security responsibility" in the besieged enclave once the war ends "for an indefinite period". Speaking to CNN on Tuesday, National Security Council spokesman John Kirby said: “The President still believes that a reoccupation of Gaza by Israeli forces is not good. It’s not good for Israel; not good for the Israeli people. “One of the conversations that Secretary (Antony) Blinken has been having in…

17 Oct

Biden to visit Israel tomorrow: Blinken

Tel Aviv. Oct 17, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken has announced that President Joe Biden will visit Israel on Wednesday during which the latter will hear from the Jewish nation on "how it will conduct its operations in a way that minimises civilian casualties". Blinken, who arrived in Tel Aviv on Monday marking his second trip to the war-torn nation since Hamas launched its unprecedented attack on Israel on October 7, announced the visit at the end of an over seven-hour long meeting with the Jewish state's war cabinet, CNN reported. During his visit on Wednesday, the President “will…

14 Oct

We’re working like hell to get missing Americans back: Biden

Washington, Oct 14, US President Joe Biden has assured that "we're working like hell" to secure the release of the 14 American nationals who remain unaccounted in Israel following the Hamas militant group's unprecedented assault on October 7. In an interview with CBS News which will be aired on Sunday, the President said: "I say we're going to do everything in our power to find them. Everything in our power. And I'm not going to go into the detail of that, but there's -- we're working like hell on it." His remarks came after he spoke to the families of…

23 Sep

Biden to provide Ukraine with long-range missiles: report

Washington, Sep 23, US President Joe Biden has told his Ukrainian counterpart that the Washington will send Kiev a type of long-range missile capable of striking inside Russia, local media reported. According to NBC News, it is unclear when the Army Tactical Missile System known as ATACMS will be delivered, nor is it certain when a formal announcement will be made. The report cited three US officials and a congressional official familiar with the discussions. They were not authorized to disclose the information publicly. Ukraine has long asked for ATACMS, from the US to boost its fighting forces in the…

11 Jul

Biden, Zelensky to meet during NATO Summit

Washington, July 11, US and Ukrainian Presidents Joe Biden and Volodymyr Zelensky will meet during the two-day NATO Summit in Vilnius, Lithuania, where Kiev's membership to the military alliance will be one of the main topics of discussion. An informed source said the two leaders will meet on the second day of the Summit on Wednesday, reports CNN. The main focus of the two-day Summit is Ukraine's membership which Zelensky has been pushing for months amid the ongoing war. But all NATO members agree that Ukraine cannot join the bloc during the war amid fears this would lead to a…

04 Jul

Zelensky calls on Biden to invite Ukraine into NATO ‘now’

Kiev, July 4, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky jas called on his American counterpart Joe Biden to invite Kiev into the NATO “now” even if membership does not come until after the ongoing war. Speaking to CNN, Zelensky said that Biden was “the decision maker” about whether Ukraine would be in NATO or not. “He supports our future in NATO,” but an invitation now would be a huge motivator for Ukrainian soldiers, the President said. Ukraine’s aspiration to join is enshrined in its Constitution and its relationship with NATO dates back to the early 1990s, according to the military alliance. NATO…

27 Jun

Biden’s way of running news conferences could be primer for leaders on managing media

New York, June 27 (IANS) While speculation swirls around the two-questioner limit at the press encounter of US President Joe Biden and Prime Minister Narendra Modi, the American leader has a record of carefully managing news conferences and picking in advance who asks him questions. His method could be a primer for other leaders on how to hold news conferences while controlling how the messaging. At least during Modi’s visit last week he allowed two reporters to ask questions. During Modi’s last visit in 2021, he didn’t allow any questions at their joint appearance and, in fact, told the Prime…

21 Jun

Joe Biden called his counterpart Xi “dictator” in Beijing

Washington, June 21, Just a day after US Secretary of State Antony Blinken became the highest ranking American official to meet Chinese President Xi Jinping, President Joe Biden called his counterpart in Beijing a "dictator". Blinken's meeting with Xi in Beijing on Monday was part of efforts to improve the strained relations between the two largest economies. But at a fundraiser in California on Tuesday night, Biden said that Xi was embarrassed over the recent tensions involving a suspected Chinese spy balloon transiting the US which was shot down by an American fighter jet, the BBC reported. "The reason why…

18 Mar

Biden welcomes ICC’s war crimes charges against Putin

Washington, March 18 (IANS) U.S. President Joe Biden has welcomed the International Criminal Court's issuing of an arrest warrant against his Russian counterpart, Vladimir Putin. The ICC accused President Putin of committing war crimes in Ukraine - something President Biden said the Russian leader had "clearly" done, BBC reported. The claims focus on the unlawful deportation of children from Ukraine to Russia since Moscow's invasion in 2022. Moscow has denied the allegations and denounced the warrants as "outrageous". It is highly unlikely that much will come of the move, as the ICC has no powers to arrest suspects without the co-operation…

20 Feb

Biden makes surprise visit to Kiev

Kiev, Feb 20 (IANS) US President Joe Biden on Monday made a surprise visit to Kiev where he met his Ukrainian counterpart Volodymyr Zelensky just four days before the ongoing war marks its first anniversary. In a social media post, Zelensky shared a picture of the two leaders and said Biden's "visit is an extremely important sign of support for all Ukrainians". The surprise visit came as Biden travelled to neighbouring Poland to meet President Andrzej Duda, reports the BBC. There had been speculation earlier on Monday that an important guest was arriving in the Ukrainian capital, which Ukrainian politician Lesia…