RIO DE JANEIRO — President Biden on Monday, with Moscow’s Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov sitting across the table at the Group of 20 meeting, made his first public comments about Ukraine since allowing Kiev to use American rockets deep in Russia.
“We will work together to end the conflicts and crises that are eroding food security progress around the world,” Biden, 81, said while reading a memo at an event ostensibly about fighting poverty and hunger. Everybody has to try.”
“The United States strongly supports Ukraine’s sovereignty and territorial integrity, and in my view, so should everyone at this table,” Biden said, making sure Lavrov and other world leaders listened. He said while tilting his head.
“By the way, Russia’s brutal invasion of Ukraine has pushed food prices to an all-time high.”
The remarks were aimed at boosting the standing of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy ahead of expected peace talks led by President-elect Donald Trump, with Biden announcing for the first time that Ukraine would use a long-range rocket made in the United States on Russian soil. This was done hours after it was approved for use.
Biden did not directly address the decision, which was first reported on Sunday — an expected endgame as President Trump, 78, vows that Ukraine will quickly broker a peace deal. This is because Russia has launched a large-scale airstrike against Ukraine in order to boost its own hand. Loss of part of Russia’s occupied territories.
Ukraine reportedly plans to use a U.S.-provided Army tactical missile system to deter a Russian counterattack in support of North Korean forces in Russia’s Kursk region. In the Kursk region, the Ukrainian military still holds land as a bargaining chip after the surprise cross attack. In August, there was a border attack.
Mr. Biden also addressed what could be one of the final pursuits of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu over the Gaza conflict, saying, “Israel has the right to defend itself after the worst genocide of Jews since the Holocaust.” “How can we protect our country against this?” Hamas, which hides behind civilians, is very important. ”
The president called on participants to “intensify pressure on Hamas, which currently refuses” to agree to a ceasefire agreement that would require the release of hostages and a cessation of fighting.
Mr. Biden has been incredibly quiet since Vice President Kamala Harris lost to Mr. Trump in the Nov. 5 election, making three stops, including attending the APEC summit in Lima. He has not yet responded to questions from reporters while on a tour of South America. In Peru, he met with Chinese President Xi Jinping and on Sunday made a stop in Brazil’s Amazon rainforest.
The outgoing president, who suspended his re-election campaign in July, has not answered a single question from journalists since the election.
Desperate journalists held signs and urged Biden to talk to him after he arrived in Rio de Janeiro on Sunday night, but to no avail. One reporter even asked out loud on the tarmac why Biden was hiding from them.
Mr. Biden’s press secretary had expected him to answer shout-out questions during his week-long tour in lieu of a traditional formal press conference, but that opportunity has not even materialized.
Defenders of the oldest president in U.S. history, including close aides who have worked with him on previous international events, told the Post that difficulties negotiating with the host nation were partly to blame for the media blackout. He said even Biden’s speech was problematic. Initially, media coverage of the famine incident was scheduled to be kept private.
