The United States is working to secure peace for the Ukrainian people in the face of Putin's aggression and should continue to help Kyiv. This statement was made by US President Joe Biden during a speech at the National Prayer Breakfast at the Capitol in Washington, DC, on Thursday, February 1, 2024. This was reported by the Voice of America, UNN reports.
The challenge of our time reminds us of our responsibility as a country to help each other, to promote a just and lasting peace, and to maintain it abroad and here at home. ... We are also working for peace, security and dignity for the Ukrainian people, who have shown incredible courage and endurance against Putin's aggression. We must continue to help them.
Details
During the prayer breakfast, US President Joe Biden mentioned not only Ukraine but also the situation in Gaza. He also emphasized that the United States not only prays for peace but also works to maintain it in the world. Biden called the United States "a unique country, the only one that is based on an idea" and said that the whole world is watching the United States as a great power.
I hope that we continue to believe that our best days are ahead of us, and as a nation we continue to believe in honesty, integrity, dignity and respect... Together, we believe in America. It is my prayer that we remember who we are! We are the United States of America. There is nothing, and I mean this sincerely, that is beyond our capabilities if we work together. We are the only nation in the world that has come out of any crisis stronger than we went in when we acted together!
During the event, the Speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives Mike Johnson read an excerpt from the prayer. The prayer breakfast was also addressed by U.S. senators from both leading parties, who said prayers for the president and also emphasized the need for unity among the nation and politicians.
For reference
The National Prayer Breakfast is held annually in the American capital. Usually, politicians and religious leaders from all over the country and abroad are invited to this meeting. Officially, the purpose of this meeting is to pray together, to talk about the importance of faith (of different religions), and humility among leaders.
Unofficially, such prayer meetings began to be held during World War II, but the first National Prayer Breakfast was held in 1953 during the Eisenhower administration with the participation of the president.
According to American publications, it was President Eisenhower, who was not very religious but attended prayer breakfasts, who wrote the phrase "We believe in God" on dollar bills and the words "under God" in the Pledge of Allegiance. It was one of the ways to resist communism and reduce the popularity of the Soviet Union in the United States after World War II. Since then, presidents have attended the National Prayer Breakfast every year.