Western allies must keep aiding Ukraine: Biden in Germany
US President Joe Biden said it’s important for Ukraine’s Western allies to “sustain our resolve” in supporting the country as he held meetings Friday with European partners, with the upcoming US presidential election casting a long shadow over his visit to Germany. Biden met Chancellor Olaf Scholz of Germany and was joined by French President Emmanuel Macron and British Prime Minister Keir Starmer for discussions that also were to address the conflict in the West Asia.
Shehbaz seeks release of Pak woman held in US
Islamabad: Pakistan’s prime minister has written to US President Joe Biden to request the release of a Pakistani woman who is serving an 86-year prison sentence in the US for terrorism charges, a government lawyer told a court on Friday. The letter from Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif was submitted to a court in Islamabad that was hearing a petition from the sister of Aafia Siddiqui, a US-trained neuroscientist who was convicted in 2010 on charges including attempting to kill US nationals.
With the election just weeks away, there are worries that a victory by Donald Trump could upset the relationships that Biden is hoping to pass on to Vice-President Kamala Harris.
Trump has an appetite for imposing trade tariffs on key US security partners. He has expressed indifference to the security of Ukraine, refusing to say during a presidential debate if he wants the US ally to win its war against Russia. “As Ukraine faces a tough winter, we must sustain our resolve, our effort and our support,” Biden said. “And I know the cost is heavy. Make no mistake, it pales in comparison to the cost of living in the world where aggression prevails, where large states attack and bully smaller ones simply because they can.”
Scholz said that “we will stand beside Ukraine as long as it is necessary,” pointing to a planned USD 50 billion international loan package funded by interest on profits from frozen Russian assets.
