Biden Says Russia 'Already Lost', Unable To Achieve Original Goal In Ukraine

CAMP DAVID, Maryland /19.08.23/Turan:   U.S. President Joe Biden said on Friday that Russia has 'already lost' in Ukraine, and that it "cannot" meet its original objectives which it stated. "It's not possible," Biden asserted, after hosting the leaders of Japan and South Korea in three-way talks, TURAN's Washington correspondent reports from Camp David.

Biden thanked Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida for both recognizing 'from day one' that the world 'needed to react' when Putin attacked Ukraine — understanding that this "could happen anywhere" — and for joining other nations in holding Russia accountable through international sanctions.

"Just imagine if we had done nothing...." Biden said, adding "if you read Putin’s speech after he invaded, he talked about Kyiv being the motherland... It just was ridiculous, I think. And he talked about being Peter the Great."

The U.S. President went on to add, "What would happen if an Asian country with 150,000 troops invaded another? You think that would not affect the interests, the economy, and the foreign policy of nations in Europe and Latin America all across the world? It would have a profound impact."

Biden sealed new security cooperation with Japan and South Korea as he hosted the leaders for the first time at Camp David. The three countries reaffirmed their commitment to counter North Korea’s aggressive behavior, and indirectly acknowledged threats posed by China through their desire to maintain peace in the South China Sea and Taiwan Strait.

As for Russia-Ukraine, Biden said, the world is changing, as there hasn't been "that kind of invasion" since World War Two. Speaking of  peace, he said, "we all want that, of course... Ukrainians want it most of all.  And my team has been working very closely with President Zelenskyy’s team and further peace formula, noting that “nothing about Ukraine without Ukraine.”

In their trilateral statement, the three leaders expressed their united support for Ukraine.

"We reaffirm our commitment to stand with Ukraine against Russia’s unprovoked and brutal war of aggression that has shaken the foundation of the international order. We commit to continue providing assistance to Ukraine, imposing coordinated, robust sanctions on Russia, and accelerating the reduction of dependency on Russian energy," the leaders noted.

The statement went on to conclude:  "We believe the lasting lesson from this catastrophic war of aggression must be the international community’s abiding will to uphold the principles of territorial integrity, sovereignty, and the peaceful resolution of disputes. We reaffirm our view that when these foundational principles are rejected anywhere, they represent a threat to our region. We are unified in our intent to ensure that no such egregious acts are ever perpetrated again."

Biden also praised the "political courage" of both South Korean President and Japanese PM in turning the page on their historical animosity as their countries have had strained relations dating back to Japan's 1910-1945 occupation of Korea.

Alex Raufoglu