The US president stated that the war shows that the world is aligning itself not geographically, “but in terms of values”
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Biden called the invasion “a direct assault on the fundamental principles of the rules-based international order” (REUTERS/Elizabeth Frantz)
President Joe Biden told Naval Academy graduates on Friday that they will be “representatives and defenders of our democracy” as free societies are threatened by Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and China’s maritime expansion. /p>
Delivering a commencement address to more than 1,000 newly commissioned ensigns and second lieutenants at Navy-Marine Corps Memorial Stadium, Biden saidThe Western response to Russian President Vladimir Putin’s “brutal” war in Ukraine shows that the world is aligning not in geography, “but in terms of values.”
He called the invasion, “a direct assault on the fundamental principles of the rules-based international order”, adding, “that is the world they are graduating into.”
“The actions taken by Putin were an attempt, to use my phrase, to ‘Finnish’ all of Europe, to make it neutral,” Biden said. “Instead, it ‘NATOized’ all of Europe.”
1,000 newly commissioned ensigns and second lieutenants at Navy-Marine Corps Memorial Stadium (REUTERS/Kevin Lamarque)
Biden told graduates that while they will learn to fly the most advanced planes, they will man state-of-the-art ships generation and will use innovative technologies, “the most powerful tool they will wield is our unrivaled network of global alliances and the strength of our associations.”
The president told the graduates that they will “uphold international traffic rules,” particularly in theIndo-Pacific region, where they will be called upon to “ensure freedom of navigation in the South China Sea and beyond.”
“These long-standing maritime principles they are the foundation of a global economy and global stability,” he said. “They are going to help unite our allies in Europe with our allies in the Indo-Pacific.”
Biden did not address the two mass shootings in recent weeks in his comments. He, along with first lady Jill Biden, will visit Uvalde, Texas, on Sunday to comfort grieving families after Tuesday’s shooting at an elementary school that killed 19 children and two teachers, the White House said.
Biden with a graduate (REUTERS/Elizabeth Frantz)
Biden’s remarks to the Naval Academy marked his first commencement address of the year. Also is scheduled to deliver remarks at Saturday’s commencement ceremony at the University of Delaware, his alma mater.
The president opened his speech by paying tribute to the resilience of the class 2022 in the face of the COVID-19 pandemic and with the customary pardon for minor infractions committed by midshipmen during their time at the academy.
He also paid tribute to the former Republican Senator John McCain, who is buried on the academy grounds, and said, “Standing here, I can’t help but think about John and how the naval academy meant so much to him.” .
(With AP information)