Biden news: President calls Ukraine ‘Tiananmen Square, squared’ as he’s blocked from visit to border
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President Joe Biden is visiting Poland, which is bearing the brunt of an exodus of Ukrainians fleeing the attack on their country.
Mr Biden’s first stop was the town of Rzeszów, less than 100km (62 miles) from the south-eastern border with Ukraine. He and President Andrzej Duda were briefed on the humanitarian relief response taking place and Mr Biden met with US service personnel stationed there.
In remarks, the president reiterated his belief that Vladimir Putin is a war criminal and described brave resistance of the citizens of Ukraine as “Tiananmen Square, squared”. The president also said he was disappointed that he was unable to cross the border to see the situation for himself, implying that the security concerns were too great — there had been much speculation about such a visit.
Both presidents will meet formally in Warsaw on Saturday.
The visit comes after a marathon series of meetings on Thursday with Nato, G7 and EU leaders in Brussels. Mr Biden said the extraordinary summit was a testimony to the unity of the US and its allies in the face of Russian aggression in Europe.
A number of new sanctions were imposed on Russia as leaders met, and the president said he also wants Russia removed from the G2. He stressed that it is the organisation’s decision whether to do so, adding that an alternative would be for Ukraine to attend as an observer.
Biden eats pizza with troops in Poland and recalls how son Beau hid his name on front lines
Did Joe Biden serve in the US military?- Biden says he was told he wasn’t allowed to go to Ukraine as he praises ‘back bone’ of Ukrainian people
Plane carrying Polish president Andrzej Duda makes emergency landing in Warsaw
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.
Americans want Biden to be tougher on Russia as approval rating remains stagnant
Biden’s approval rating stuck at 43 per cent according to new data
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.
Richard Hall reports.
US officially accuses Russian forces of war crimes in Ukraine
Secretary of State says determination was made after assessing public and intelligence sources
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.
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.
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.
Bevan Hurley reports.
Biden says Ukraine should be able to attend G20 meetings if US can’t expel Russia
‘The single most important thing is for us to stay unified and the world to continue to focus on what a brute this guy is’
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.
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.
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.
Conservatives try to troll Jill Biden’s Sesame Street appearance
First Lady Jill Biden appeared on Sesame Street and talked to fuzzy puppets about the importance of kindness. Somehow, a number conservatives found this objectionable.
The children’s show posted the cameo on its Twitter account on Monday. In the video, the first lady introduces the word of the day: “Kindness.”
“When we do things for others, it makes us feel good too,” Ms Biden tells Elmo and two other Muppets. “It’s important that we are kind to every person, monster, animal, and the environment.”
Read Nathan Place’s report
Conservatives try to troll Jill Biden’s Sesame Street appearance
‘When we do things for others, it makes us feel good too,’ the first lady told Elmo. Conservatives were furious
What Russia said about expulsion from G20
Kremlin described pressure to remove Russia from the G20 summit in Indonesia as “blatant and undiplomatic” and reminded that it was a multilateral format.
“It is a well-known fact that the US exerts blatant and undiplomatic pressure on all states regarding all-encompassing countering of our country,” Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said on Wednesday.
“As for G20, it is a multilateral format, different opinions exist there. It is clear that the Americans will continue pressing various states, but, as we see, a number of states prefer to adhere to their own independent, sovereign point of view,” the spokesman added.
Joe Biden has pitched for Ukraine to be welcomed at future G20 meets and suggested ousting Russia.
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