On Monday (November 18), US President Biden attended the G20 summit in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil and expressed strong support for Ukraine’s sovereignty and territorial integrity.
“We must all work to end conflicts and crises. These conflicts and crises are eroding the progress towards global security,” the president said. “The United States firmly supports Ukraine’s sovereignty and territorial integrity. In my view, everyone here should do the same.”
However, he did not directly mention the decision to allow Ukraine to use US missiles to target Russian assets within Russia. The previous day, multiple media outlets reported, citing sources, that Biden had authorized Ukraine to use US-supplied long-range missiles to target Russian assets within Russia. This marks a significant shift in US policy regarding the Russia-Ukraine conflict.
The G20 summit held on Monday and Tuesday will discuss issues ranging from poverty and hunger to global institutional reform. The discussions also involve the issue of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
According to Reuters, two sources stated on Monday that Biden pledged $4 billion to the International Development Association (IDA) fund of the World Bank to assist the world’s poorest countries. The sources revealed that Biden made this commitment for the US at a closed-door meeting during the G20 summit. This amount sets a record, significantly surpassing the US’s $3.5 billion pledge to IDA in December 2021. A White House spokesperson declined to comment on this news.
It remains unclear whether former US President Trump will honor Biden’s commitment after taking office. Trump has previously proposed cuts to foreign aid. Following his election, he appointed Musk and former Republican presidential candidate Vivek Ramaswami to co-lead the Department of Government Efficiency (D.O.G.E) to enhance government efficiency. While Trump has not disclosed specifics on how it will operate, Musk has previously set a goal to cut spending by $2 trillion.
After attending the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) summit in Lima, Peru, Biden traveled to Manaus, Brazil on Sunday (November 17). There, he met with local leaders dedicated to protecting the Amazon rainforest.
Biden is the first sitting US president to visit the Amazon rainforest. During his visit, he announced that the US International Development Finance Corporation (DFC) will mobilize hundreds of millions of dollars to collaborate with a Brazilian company on reforestation in the Amazon region. The president also announced an additional $50 million donation to the Amazon Fund, “We have already donated $50 million.”
“We are launching a Brazil Restoration and BioEconomy Financing Alliance to mobilize at least $10 billion by 2030 for the restoration and protection of 20,000 square miles of land.”