Biden and PM Modi hailed a new era in US-India relationship in June this year. (File image: PTI)
The United States will continue to foster a stronger defence partnership with India, the Pentagon said on Friday. Addressing a Pentagon Press Secretary here, Pat Ryder told reporters that Washington appreciates its ties with New Delhi on the “defence level.”
“We very much appreciate our relationship with India on a defence level. We continue to foster a stronger defence partnership with India and that is something that I think you’ll continue to see us do going forward,” Ryder said.
In 1997, defence trade between India and the US was almost negligible, today it stands above USD 20 billion. Responding to a question, Ryder said China remains the pacing challenge for the Department of Defense.
“We do appreciate the partnership that we have with India and other countries in the Indo-Pacific region when it comes to preserving individual nations’ sovereignty and abiding by the international rules-based order that has preserved peace and stability for many years,” he said.
These remarks come as US and India have significantly enhanced defence cooperation in recent years. During Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s state visit in June, India inked a number of defence deals with the United States.
‘It’s shocking that he can be so aggressive,’ one White House staffer said
Members of President Joe Biden’s staff are concerned about Commander, Biden’s German Shepherd that bit a Secret Service officer in late September.
“Among staff, there is an emerging belief that, in the eyes of Commander, they are off limits; that the dog only has an appetite for the Secret Service,” Politico reported.
“It’s shocking that he can be so aggressive,” one White House staffer said. “I’ve never seen him like that.”
Members of President Joe Biden’s staff are concerned about Commander, Biden’s German Shepherd that bit a Secret Service officer in late September. (Michael Reynolds/EPA/Bloomberg via Getty Images)
It was Commander’s eleventh known biting incident. Conservative legal activist group Judicial Watch previously obtained reports of the 10 previous incidents of Commander terrorizing staff from October 2022 through January 2023.
One of the more serious incidents resulted in the victim, a Secret Service agent, being taken to the hospital after his interaction with the first dog. The victim was bitten on his thigh and arm on Nov. 3, 2022.
Biden’s staff are divided on Biden’s dog, according to a Politico report from Monday.
“Everyone loves him,” a White House staffer said. “He’s always so friendly.”
Others in Biden’s staff were not as positive about Commander, with some theorizing reasons as to why Commander seems to be interested in specifically attacking Secret Service officers, per Politico.
“The White House is just a crazy environment for a dog,” a former White House official said. “There are enormous men with guns acting suspiciously hostile everywhere.”
Another former staffer had a different theory.
“Dogs are very reactive to humans and when staff greet Commander, it’s usually with a big smile,” the staffer said. “That’s not the case for Secret Service agents, who tend to be less warm and fuzzy while on the job.”
President Joe Biden has vowed continued US support for Ukraine, after further military funding was excluded from a last-minute congressional budget deal.
The temporary measure, pushed through to avert a government shutdown, did not include $6bn (£4.92bn) in military aid for Kyiv – a top White House priority.
Hardline Republicans oppose further military aid, with many openly opposing Mr Biden’s approach to the war.
But on Sunday Mr Biden said Ukraine could “count on” US support.
“We cannot, under any circumstances, allow US support to Ukraine to be interrupted,” Mr Biden said.
“I can reassure [Ukraine] we’ll get there, that we’re going to get it done,” he said on restoring funding for the war. “I want to assure our American allies… that you can count on our support, we will not walk away.”
The US has already supplied some $46bn (£37bn) in military aid to Ukraine since Russian launched its full scale invasion in February 2022.
President Biden has requested another $24bn (£19bn).
And in recent months the US has sent state of the art equipment to Kyiv – including long-range missiles and Abrams tanks. It comes as Kyiv’s forces continue to launch a slow moving counter-offensive in the south of the country.
But Saturday’s temporary budget agreement – which will fund the US federal government for 45 days – stripped out continued military funding for the time being.
Senior Senate leaders from both parties released a joint statement signalling their intention to “ensure the US government continues to provide” support to Ukraine in the coming weeks.
But the move – which came just nine days after President Volodymyr Zelensky flew to Washington to plead for further support – reflects increasing opposition from hard-right Republicans in the House of Representatives to the war in recent months.
Republicans control the House of Representatives, with Democrats enjoying a wafer-thin majority in the Senate. Both need to approve legislation on the budget before it is signed into law.
Florida congressman Matt Gaetz told reporters on Saturday that funding “already authorised out of this Congress is somewhere between more than enough and way too much”.
And Georgia Representative Marjorie Taylor-Green said far too much aid had already been allocated to Kyiv, saying “Ukraine is not the 51st state”.
Their approach provoked a furious reaction from Democratic Party senators.
“I can’t believe people are going to walk away from Ukraine at this moment in time,” Senator Mark Warner said.
Despite the row, officials in Kyiv have sought to frame this new 45-day funding agreement in the US as an “opportunity” for its diplomats to secure longer-term support. It’s more like an unwanted deadline.
Ukraine’s foreign ministry says the “flow of US aid won’t change” with $3bn of humanitarian and military support set to still arrive, but it concedes “ongoing programmes” might be affected.
But one Ukrainian MP, Oleksi Goncharenko, admitted that the suspended funding was causing concern in Kyiv.
“The vote in US Congress is disturbing. The US said they would be with Ukraine as long as it takes and now see how support of Ukraine is excluded from the stop-gap deal. This is the sign of alarm, not only for Ukraine, but for Europe, too,” he told the BBC.
Ukraine says it will fight on, even though there is concern about Western fatigue with the war
This political turmoil is one of several symptoms of Western fatigue. The growing scepticism from some Republicans and the recent election victory for a populist, pro-Moscow party in Slovakia are concerning for both Ukraine and the European Union.
President Biden’s dog Commander attacked yet another Secret Service agent Monday — marking the 11th known time the 2-year-old canine chomped down on the Executive Mansion’s staff.
“Yesterday around 8 p.m., a Secret Service Uniformed Division police officer came in contact with a first family pet and was bitten. The officer was treated by medical personnel on complex,” USSS chief of communications Anthony Guglielmi told CNN in a statement.
The agent is reportedly in good condition and has since spoken with Secret Service Director Kimberly Cheatle about the incident.
The White House did not immediately respond to The Post’s request for comment.
The latest bite comes just two months after shocking internal Secret Service records revealed what an aggressive and violent nuisance the young pup has been.
Commander attacked personnel on at least 10 other occasions at the White House and in Delaware between October 2022 and January 2023, sending at least one agent to the hospital with lacerations on his arm and thigh.
Seven of the German shepherd’s victims were bitten within a four-month span just after first dog Major was ousted from the White House over similar bad behavior.
Commander attacked another Secret Service agent Monday evening. EPA
Commander, a gift from Biden’s brother James Biden and sister-in-law Sara Biden, was welcomed the same day Major was given to family friends after biting many Secret Service members in 2021.
Many of the Secret Service agents reported being attacked without provocation, with multiple desperately grabbing nearby objects such as chains and chairs to block the dog from inflicting further damage.
The 11 documented attacks are likely just the tip of the iceberg for the dog’s disturbing behavior — the internal correspondence didn’t include Commander’s first nine months at the White House or the last nine months of 2023.
U.S. President Joe Biden shakes hands with Chinese President Xi Jinping as they meet on the sidelines of the G20 leaders’ summit in Bali, Indonesia, November 14, 2022. REUTERS/Kevin Lamarque/File Photo Acquire Licensing Rights
U.S. President Joe Biden said on Sunday that he was disappointed that Chinese President Xi Jinping was not attending the summit of G20 leaders in India, but added that he was going to “get to see him.”
“I am disappointed … but I am going to get to see him,” Biden told reporters in Rehoboth Beach, Delaware, without elaborating.
Biden will visit India from Sept. 7-10 for a summit of the Group of 20 nations, followed by a trip to Vietnam as his administration seeks to strengthen U.S. relations in Asia.
Xi is likely to skip the summit and Chinese Premier Li Qiang is expected to represent Beijing at the meeting in New Delhi, sources familiar with the matter have told Reuters.
Asked if he was looking forward to his trip, Biden said, “Yes, I am.”
“I want a little more … coordination. I think they both (India and Vietnam) want much closer relations with the United States and that can be very helpful,” Biden said.
US president offers support to people of Florida after Governor Ron DeSantis, a potential presidential rival, rejected a meeting with him.
US President Joe Biden and First Lady Jill Biden speak with a woman during their tour of Hurricane Idalia’s destruction, Live Oak, Florida, US, September 2, 2023 [Evelyn Hockstein/ Reuters]Joe Biden, the president of the United States, has surveyed the destruction caused by Hurricane Idalia in the state of Florida but did not meet with Governor Ron DeSantis, a potential presidential rival, who opted not to come.
Biden offered support and condolences to those affected by Idalia on Saturday after taking an aerial tour and receiving a briefing from local officials as well as first responders in Live Oak, a town hit hard by the storm.
He saw houses with fallen trees on them and said that no one “intelligent” could doubt that climate change was happening.
“I’m here today to deliver a clear message to the people of Florida and throughout the southeast,” Biden said as he spoke outdoors, near a church that had parts of its sheet metal roof peeled back by Idalia’s powerful winds and a home half crushed by a fallen tree.
“As I’ve told your governor, if there’s anything your state needs, I’m ready to mobilise that support,” he continued. “Anything they need related to these storms. Your nation has your back and we’ll be with you until the job is done.”
But politics hung over Biden’s trip.
The president, a Democrat who has spoken to DeSantis multiple times this week, said on Friday that he and the Republican governor would meet in person. But DeSantis’s spokesperson said on the same day that the governor had no plans to meet Biden, adding that “the security preparations alone that would go into setting up such a meeting would shut down ongoing recovery efforts”.
The governor’s decision caught the White House off guard.
Asked if he was disappointed that DeSantis did not come, Biden said, “No, I’m not disappointed.”
“He may have had other reasons. … But he did help us plan this,” Biden told reporters. “He sat with FEMA and decided where we should go where would be the least disruption,” he added, referring to the Federal Emergency Management Agency.
President Joe Biden may be 48 hours away from announcing his reelection bid. But nearly 3 out of 4 Americans are hoping he has a last-minute change of heart.
According to a new poll out Sunday from NBC News, 70 percent of Americans do not want Biden to run for a second term, compared to only 26 percent who do. Among those who don’t want the 80-year-old president to pursue a second term, 69 percent cite age as a reason why, with 48 percent calling it a “major” reason.
Worse yet for Biden, the new survey shows him facing a steep uphill climb in a general election. The NBC poll shows 41 percent of Americans plan to vote for Biden in 2024, compared to 47 percent who say they will back the Republican nominee.
South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol attends an interview with Reuters at the Presidential Office in Seoul, South Korea, April 18, 2023. REUTERS/Kim Hong-Ji/File Photo/File Photo
South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol set off on Monday for the United States and a summit with President Joe Biden at a time of rare questioning in South Korea of an alliance that has guaranteed its security for decades.
Yoon’s April 24-29 trip is the first state visit to the U.S. by a South Korean leader in 12 years and will mark the 70th anniversary of a partnership that has helped anchor U.S. strategy in Asia and provided a foundation for South Korea’s emergence as an economic powerhouse.
But as North Korea races ahead with the development of nuclear weapons and missiles to carry them, there are growing questions in South Korea about the relying on “extended deterrence”, in essence the American nuclear umbrella, and calls, even from some senior members of Yoon’s party, for South Korea to develop its own nuclear weapons.
A recent poll by the Asan Institute for Policy Studies showed that more than 54% of respondents believed the U.S. would not risk its safety to protect its Asian ally.
More than 64% supported South Korea developing its own nuclear weapons, with about 33% opposed.
Yoon has been pushing to boost South Korea’s say in operating the U.S. extended deterrence but exactly what that might entail has not been spelt out.
Yoon’s deputy national security adviser said both sides had been working on measures to operate the extended deterrence in a more concrete manner, hopefully with progress to be a revealed in a joint statement after the summit.
“What I can tell you now is that people’s interest in and expectations for extended deterrence have been great, and there are several things that have been carried out over the past year in terms of information sharing, planning and execution,” the adviser, Kim Tae-hyo, told reporters.
“We need to take steps to organise these things so that it can be easily understood to anyone in one big picture, how this is implemented and developed.”
A senior U.S. official said on Friday that Biden, during the summit with Yoon, would pledge “substantial” steps to underscore U.S. commitments to deter a North Korean nuclear attack.
HELP FOR UKRAINE
Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, which some in South Korea feel is distracting the United States from dangers in Asia, has also led to some rare friction between Seoul and Washington.
Leaked U.S. documents recently highlighted South Korean difficulties in dealing with pressure from its ally to help with the supply of military aid to Ukraine.
South Korea, a major producer of artillery shells, says it has not provided lethal weapons to Ukraine, citing its relations with Russia. It has limited its support to humanitarian aid.
South Korea tries to avoid antagonising Russia, due chiefly to business interests and Russian influence over North Korea.
Suggestions reported in media that the United States had been spying on South Korean deliberations about its support to Ukraine have raised hackles in South Korea, though both sides have played the down the issue.
US President Joe Biden said Monday that India was an exception among Washington’s allies with its “shaky” response to the Russian invasion of Ukraine. Biden lauded the US-led alliance, including NATO, the European Union and key Asian partners, for its united front against President Vladimir Putin.
This includes unprecedented sanctions aimed at crippling Russia’s currency, international trade and access to high-tech goods.
However, unlike fellow members of the Quad group — Australia, Japan and the United States — India continues to purchase Russian oil and has refused to join votes condemning Moscow at the United Nations.
Addressing a meeting of US business leaders in Washington, Biden said there had been “a united front throughout NATO and in the Pacific.”
“The Quad is, with the possible exception of India being somewhat shaky on some of this, but Japan has been extremely strong — so has Australia — in terms of dealing with Putin’s aggression.”
Biden said that Putin was “counting on being able to split NATO” and instead, “NATO has never been stronger, more united, in its entire history than it is today.”
Indian oil refiners have reportedly continued to purchase discounted Russian oil, even as the West seeks to isolate Moscow.
An Indian government official said last week that the world’s third-biggest consumer of crude relies on imports for almost 85 percent of its needs, with Russia supplying a “marginal” less than one percent of this.
President Joe Biden called Russian President Vladimir Putin a “war criminal” Wednesday, a rhetorical leap that came as civilian deaths mount in Ukraine.
It was the harshest condemnation of Putin’s actions from any US official since the war in Ukraine began three weeks ago. Previously, Biden had stopped short of labeling atrocities being documented on the ground in Ukraine as “war crimes,” citing ongoing international and US investigations.
But on Wednesday, speaking with reporters at an unrelated event, Biden affixed the designation on the Russian leader.
“I think he is a war criminal,” the President said after remarks at the White House.
The shift from the administration’s previous stance came after an emotional address to Congress from Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, who aired a video showing Ukrainians suffering amid Russia’s onslaught. Zelensky asked American lawmakers and Biden for more help defending itself, including a no-fly zone and fighter jets.
Biden responded in his own address a few hours later, laying out new American military assistance to Ukraine — including anti-aircraft and anti-armor systems, weapons and drones — but stopping short of acceding to Zelensky’s requests.
Still, Biden acknowledged the horrors transpiring on the ground.
“We saw reports that Russian forces were holding hundreds of doctors and patients hostage in the largest hospital in Mariupol,” Biden said. “These are atrocities. They’re an outrage to the world. And the world is united in our support for Ukraine and our determination to make Putin pay a very heavy price.”
It wasn’t until a few hours after that that Biden responded to a question about Putin being a war criminal. Biden initially said “no,” but immediately returned to a group of reporters to clarify what had been asked. When asked again whether Putin was a war criminal, he answered in the affirmative.
Officials, including Biden, had previously avoided saying war crimes were being committed in Ukraine, citing ongoing investigations into whether that term could be used. Other world leaders have not been as circumspect, including British Prime Minister Boris Johnson, who said last week war crimes were being committed. The International Criminal Court at the Hague has also opened an investigation into war crimes. And the US Senate unanimously asked for an international investigation into war crimes on Tuesday. US Ambassador to the United Nations Linda Thomas-Greenfield said last week that actions committed by Russia against the Ukrainian people “constitute war crimes,” marking the first time a senior US official directly accused Moscow of war crimes since last month’s attack on Ukraine began.
