WASHINGTON – President Joe Biden is ending US military support for the warby its Saudi allies in Yemen, the White House said Thursday ahead of theDemocrat s first major foreign policy speech.
“He s going to announce an end to American support for offensive operationsin Yemen,” National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan told reporters shortlybefore Biden was to make the speech at the State Department.
“That s a promise he made in the campaign he will be following through on.”
The end on US military support for the Saudi-led coalition fighting inYemen reverses former president Donald Trump s policy of providinglogistical assistance and selling huge amounts of advanced weaponry such asprecision-guided bombs.
Signalling Washington s new approach to the war, which has led to ahumanitarian crisis, the Biden administration is also appointing a Yemenenvoy, Timothy Lenderking, said a person familiar with the matter.
Biden “will talk about the United States playing a more active and engagedrole in the diplomacy to bring an end to the conflict,” Sullivan said.
Germany troop changes frozen
Biden will also freeze plans set in motion by Trump to reduce the US trooppresence in Germany, which has been a cornerstone of NATO security sincethe start of the Cold War.
“Today (Biden) will announce… a global force posture review and duringthe pendency of that review will freeze any troop redeployments fromGermany,” Sullivan said.
Trump s decision was seen as linked to his tense relationship with Germanyand the European Union over trade issues, but sparked concerns that he wasweakening the West s security in the face of a resurgent Russia.
Biden has quickly toughened Washington s posture toward Moscow.
He is blaming the Kremlin for a massive cyber attack and US presidentialelection meddling, and also calling out Russia over the jailing of AlexeiNavalny, one of the few remaining opponents of President Vladimir Putin.
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“Unlike the previous administration, we will be taking steps to hold Russiaaccountable for the range of malign activities that it has undertaken,”Sullivan said.
“We will do that at a time and a manner of our choosing,” he said.
On Myanmar, Biden is considering new sanctions that would target specificindividuals and entities connected to the all-powerful military, which tookover the country after detaining civilian leaders this week.
“We are also looking at specific targeted sanctions both on individuals andon entities controlled by the military that enrich the military,” Sullivansaid.
Rebuilding alliances
In excerpts of the speech released by the White House, Biden will call forrenewed alliance-building and US leadership on the world stage.
“We must meet this new moment of accelerating global challenges – from apandemic to the climate crisis to nuclear proliferation – challenges thatwill only be solved by nations working together in common cause,” Biden wasto say.
“Over the past two weeks, I ve spoken with the leaders of many of ourclosest friends – Canada, Mexico, the UK, Germany, France, NATO, Japan,South Korea, and Australia – to begin re-forming the habits of cooperationand rebuilding the muscles of democratic alliances that have atrophied fromfour years of neglect and abuse,” Biden was to say.
“America s alliances are among our greatest assets. And leading withdiplomacy means standing shoulder to shoulder with our allies and keypartners once more.” – APP/AFP
