Joe Biden, President of the United States
Author of the book. The White House/Flickr/United States Government Work
US President Joe Biden said in an interview with Time magazine that if Ukraine were to fall, we would see Poland and all these countries bordering Russia follow. Biden estimated that Putin’s goal was to restore the Soviet Union and the Warsaw Pact. He also emphasized that the war in Ukraine does not have to end with Ukraine joining NATO.
“If we ever let Ukraine fall, mark my words: We’ll see Poland follow, you’ll see all these countries from the Balkans (sic) and Belarus to Russia’s real border, they’ll all go to their own deals,” Biden said in response to a question about a possible end to the war in Ukraine. . For him, peace means “ensuring that Russia never, never, never invades Ukraine,” Biden noted, but not necessarily Ukraine’s joining NATO.
“What this means is that we have a relationship with it like we have with other countries, where we supply them with weapons so that they can defend themselves in the future,” he added. He also noted that he was “not ready to support the NATOization of Ukraine.”
Biden also estimated that Vladimir Putin’s goal – which he indicated in his speech before the invasion of Ukraine – was to rebuild the Soviet Union and “return to the days when there was no NATO and there was this other team that included Poland and everybody.” Others”.
Quoting the words of Emmanuel Macron and former Trump adviser John Bolton, the US president suggested that Donald Trump’s victory in the election would mean leaving the US or “destroying” NATO and losing the US leadership role in the world. Because of this, China is interested in meddling in the US election in favor of Trump, he added.
“Everybody, every bad guy is rooting for Trump. It’s not a joke,” he noted. In contrast, almost all (Democratic) leaders tell him that “Trump can’t win” because both America and their democracy depend on it.
“So name me a leader other than Orban and Putin who thinks Trump should be world leader,” he said.
When asked about the protection of Taiwan by US troops, Biden declined to make a definitive statement on the matter, although he said how the US would respond would depend on the circumstances. However, he stressed that he did not rule out the use of US forces. Pointing to China’s domestic problems, Biden also said he did not want to switch places with Xi Jinping.
“You have a significantly older population than most young people in Europe where you’re too old to work. And it’s racist (…) Where is it supposed to grow? You have an economy on the brink. The idea that their economy is booming? Come on,” he said.
Referring to the war in the Gaza Strip, Biden said he and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu shared ideas about what should happen after the war. He added that in his view a two-state solution is the only solution, and that he is supported by Arab leaders who agree that Israeli troops cannot remain in Gaza.
Asked whether Israel had committed war crimes, he said “the answer is clearly not” and that the Israelis themselves were investigating.
“One thing is clear, the people of Gaza, the Palestinians, are suffering a lot,” he noted.