Biden tips his hat to Ukraine during his visit to South Korea and Japan, telling key Asian allies the importance of providing aid
- There are no more “two theaters,” a senior administration official told reporters traveling with the president
- He had dinner with Korean President Yoon on Saturday night and is traveling to Japan on Sunday to meet Prime Minister Kishida
- At each stop, Biden will “focus on his concerns about Ukraine and the importance he places on helping Ukraine.”
- South Korea is a leading arms manufacturer, but also provides other forms of aid
- Japan has pledged $600 million in economic aid and has agreed to sanctions
- Biden signed a $40 billion US aid package for Ukraine in Seoul on Friday
President Joe Biden is urging allies Japan and South Korea to do more to support Ukraine as he meets with leaders of both countries on his trip to Asia — urging further support as Ukraine falls from a long Russian siege suffered a defeat in Mariupol.
South Korea is one of the world’s largest arms exporters and Japan is the world’s third largest economy.
Population and leaders in both countries are holding rallies for the Ukrainian cause, but Biden is using his trip to try to organize more contributions.
“I think you can expect that at each stop the President will focus on his concerns about Ukraine and the importance he places on helping Ukraine,” a senior administration official told DailyMail.com during a press briefing with reporters about Biden’s journey.
President Joe Biden emphasizes his support for Ukraine at “every stop” of his trip to Asia. He flies from South Korea to Japan on Sunday
The official said Biden had ‘made it very clear how impressed he is with what the ROK has accomplished. And the fact that I think the actions of the ROK have further increased the extent to which key allies in Asia are supporting our efforts and the efforts of the international community in Europe, just as European countries have been paying much more attention in recent years showed much more interest in ensuring peace and stability in the Indo-Pacific,” the official said.
“So, I think the President, the idea that these are two different theaters doesn’t make sense anymore in my opinion. These are very strong links between the two,” the official added.
Japan’s Prime Minister Fumio Kishida announced last week that his country would provide an additional $300 million in economic aid to Ukraine, doubling the total since the Russian invasion to $600 million.
Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida announced last week that Japan would provide an additional $300 million in economic aid to Ukraine
Japan sent shipment of bulletproof vests, helmets, etc. to Ukraine, JSDF loads them onto KC-767
The delivery of defense aid during a raging war was a new step for Japan, which has enshrined pacifism in its constitution
Ukrainian President Zelenskyy has asked for help.
Uninhabitable apartment buildings stand in a former front-line district in an aerial photo taken on May 21, 2022 in Kharkiv, Ukraine
Two women stand in front of their bombed-out house in Bakhmut, Ukraine, on May 20, 2022
He announced the funds to be distributed through the World Bank ahead of Biden’s trip.
As it turns out, a delay in the Senate allowed Biden to demonstrate US support for Ukraine during his trip, which contained otherwise unheadlined “findings” that administrations are usually fond of touting at summits.
Biden signed a $40 billion U.S. aid package for Ukraine in Seoul on Friday after it was flown here after the Senate passed it on Thursday.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy last month publicly urged South Korea to provide arms as he seeks to rally allies for enough support to force Russia to give up territorial gains.
“They have something that can be indispensable for us … armored vehicles, anti-aircraft, anti-tank and anti-ship weapons,” Zelenskyy said.
South Korea has stressed its own security posture by rejecting Ukraine’s original arms request. That stance was underscored this week when US officials warned North Korea that there could be another nuclear or missile test during or around Biden’s trip.
Both countries have also joined in supporting economic sanctions against Russia following February’s invasion. Japan did this as a member of the G7 group of industrialized nations.
His commitment to territorial integrity also has implications in his own neighborhood, where Japan has territorial disputes with China over the Senkaku Islands.
South Korea joined international sanctions against Russia and banned the export of strategic goods like chips to Russia.
