Biden says Ukraine should attend G20 meetings if efforts to expel Russia unsuccessful
Joe Biden wants Russia removed from the G20, but stressed that it is the organisation’s decision adding that an alternative would be for Ukraine to attend as an observer.
Mr Biden was speaking at a press conference at Nato Headquarters following meetings with leaders of both the alliance and the G7 in an extraordinary day of summits in Brussels over the invasion of Ukraine.
The president said he warned China not to help Russia or risk its economy; there would be an appropriate response to the use of chemical weapons; and that he will likely be visiting refugees at the Polish border.
Mr Biden is now meeting with the European Council in a day focussed on allied unity.
Thursday’s meetings are to coordinate with Nato allies on military assistance for Ukraine, new sanctions on Russia, and the boosting of defences in Eastern Europe. The US has also now officially accused Russian forces of war crimes in Ukraine.
At home, the latest polling shows the majority of Americans want the president to take a tougher stance on Russia, while his approval rating remains unchanged since the beginning of the conflict in Europe.
Biden warns Nato would respond if Russia uses chemical weapons
Joe Biden warned that Nato “would respond” in case Russia used chemical weapons in Ukraine.
“We would respond if he uses it. The nature of the response would depend on the nature of the use,” he said.
The president was asked whether there would be a military response to the use of chemical weapons by Russian president Vladimir Putin. Mr Biden said that it “would trigger a response in kind”.
He did not elaborate on his warning.
This comes as the White House has set up a national security team focused on the response to Russia’s potential launch of a chemical attack, amid rising fears that Moscow is preparing the grounds to do so.
Shweta Sharma25 March 2022 05:58
Biden to announce new natural gas supplies to Europe
Joe Biden is expected to announce plans to supply additional shipments of liquefied natural gas to Europe, an attempt to wean the continent off dependency on Russian energy supply.
He is expected to discuss the plans with EU commission president Ursula von der Leyen shortly before leaving for Poland.
The US is planning to supply the EU with about 15bn additional cubic metres of liquefied natural gas by the end of 2022, the Financial Times reported, citing two people familiar with the development.
Liquefied natural gas deliveries from the US would go towards replacing the 50bn cm of gas requirements of the EU which are currently supplied by Russia.
The US supplied Europe with 22bn cm gas in 2021, according to EU data.
Shweta Sharma25 March 2022 05:25
Majority of American’s disapprove of Biden’s handling of economy
A new poll has suggested that a majority of Americans (65 per cent) disapprove of Joe Biden’s handling of the US economy, as his approval rating dropped to a new record low of 40 per cent on Thursday.
According to a poll by The Associated Press-NORC Center, a majority of respondents did not blame him for higher gas prices because it was something out of his control but believed that his policies are hurting the economy.
Almost 55 per cent of people did not blame Mr Biden for the higher than usual gas prices while 44 per cent said he was to be blamed.
About 48 per cent people said his policies are hurting the US economy rather than helping it, as compared to 24 per cent who supported him on this front.
The polls come as Americans are coping with higher food and energy costs along with the lasting fallout of last year’s Covid surge.
Shweta Sharma25 March 2022 05:05
Biden: Ukraine should be able to attend G20 meetings if US efforts to expel Russia are unsuccessful
President Joe Biden has called for Ukraine to be welcomed at future G20 summits should US attempts to expel Russia be unsuccessful.
After meeting with European allies on Thursday in Brussels, Mr Biden told a press conference it was time to step up efforts to isolate Russia from the international community.
He said if G20 member countries blocked his request to remove Russia, then Ukraine should be invited to attend the meetings.
Oliver O’Connell25 March 2022 04:45
Biden says he will be ‘fortunate’ to face Trump in 2024
Dismissing the challenge posed by a potential rematch with Donald Trump in 2024 presidential elections, Joe Biden said he would be “very fortunate” to run against the former president.
“I don’t criticise anybody for asking that question. But the next election — I’d be very fortunate if I had that same man running against me,” Mr Biden told reporters, while attending the Nato and G7 summit in Brussels, referring to Trump.
This comes as a recent poll by the Wall Street Journal revealed that a majority of registered voters said that they do not believe that Mr Biden will run a second term. The poll found less than 1 in 3 respondents expect him to run again.
But Mr Biden said he is focused on upcoming mid-term elections.
“So, we’re a long way off in elections, a long way off. My focus of any election is on making sure that we retain the House and the United States Senate so that I have the room to continue to do the things that I’ve been able to do, in terms of grow the economy and deal in a rational way with American foreign policy and be the leader of the free world,” Mr Biden said.
The president will be 81 by Election Day in 2024, and has seen his approval rating drop to a new record low amid speculation that he will not run for a second term.
Shweta Sharma25 March 2022 04:38
Biden to visit Poland on Friday
Joe Biden will likely visit a Polish town about 80km (50 miles) from the Ukrainian border as Russia continues its bombardment on cities of the war-torn country.
The White House said that the president will leave for a bilateral meeting with Polish president Andrzej Duda in Warsaw.
Mr Biden will receive a briefing from officials on how Poland is coping with several million Ukrainian refugees who have fled their towns to escape Russian assault.
Mr Biden is also expected to meet refugees of the war.
Shweta Sharma25 March 2022 04:30
ICYMI: US officially accuses Russian forces of war crimes in Ukraine
The US government has officially accused Russian military forces of committing war crimes in Ukraine.
US secretary of state Antony Blinken said that Vladimir Putin has “unleashed unrelenting violence that has caused death and destruction across Ukraine”.
“Today, I can announce that, based on information currently available, the US government assesses that members of Russia’s forces have committed war crimes in Ukraine,” he added.
Oliver O’Connell25 March 2022 04:15
Americans want Biden to be tougher on Russia as approval rating remains stagnant according to new poll
The majority of Americans want Joe Biden to take a tougher stance when responding to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine according to a new poll by the Associated Press and NORC Public Affairs Research.
Released on Thursday, the results show 56 per cent of respondents say they believe the president’s response to Vladimir Putin’s attack on Ukraine has not been tough enough, while only 36 per cent think it has been about right, and six per cent said it has been too tough.
Oliver O’Connell25 March 2022 03:45
Biden pledges new humanitarian aid, sanctions and civilian refuge
As the war in Ukraine ran into the second month on Thursday, president Joe Biden promised more humanitarian aid and new sanctions.
Mr Biden said the US will provide an additional $1 billion in food, medicine, water and other supplies, which is in addition to recently signed-through spending of more than $4 billion in humanitarian assistance and $1.4 billion for the refugee crisis.
Mr Biden also announced plans to welcome up to 100,000 Ukrainian refugees.
However, the efforts fall short of robust military assistance that was demanded by Volodymyr Zelensky during his live-video meeting with Congress.
Shweta Sharma25 March 2022 03:40
Oliver O’Connell25 March 2022 03:15
