President Biden is leaning into his support for Ukraine with a 2024 campaign ad that promotes his decision to aid Kyiv’s military against the Russian invasion, drawing a contrast between his administration and parts of the GOP field.
The 60-second ad focuses on his trip in February “under the cover of night” to visit Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy. It features footage of Mr. Biden on a train trip from Poland before shaking hands with Ukrainian leaders.
“Standing up for democracy in a place where a tyrant is waging war to take it away,” the narrator said. “In the middle of a war zone, Joe Biden showed the world what America is made of. That’s the quiet strength of a true leader who doesn’t back down to a dictator.”
The ad is an implicit rebuke of the GOP front-runner, former President Donald Trump, who has been reluctant throughout his political career to criticize Russian President Vladimir Putin and says Ukraine might have to give up some territory to reach a peace deal.
Mr. Biden’s campaign released the ad before the president heads to India for a Group of 20 nations summit that will focus on the war in Ukraine.
The campaign is betting the focus on global leadership will overcome Americans’ concerns about the billions of dollars that have flowed to help Ukraine in a war that has no clear end date.
GOP candidate Vivek Ramaswamy said during the first Republican primary debate he would no longer send aid to Ukraine as president.
Other candidates, including former Vice President Mike Pence and former U.N. Ambassador Nikki Haley, have been more forceful about the need to back Ukraine against Russia, saying it would send a strong signal as China throws its weight around in the South China Sea.
Some Republicans in Congress say they want to support Ukraine but cannot stomach a “blank check” approach to aid.
The Biden ad is part of a 16-week, $25 million ad blitz that will target voters in swing states. An ad touting Mr. Biden’s economic record is running Thursday night during the National Football League’s opener between the Detroit Lions and Kansas City Chiefs.
The Ukraine ad, titled “War Zone,” will run during CBS’ “60 Minutes” Sunday in Arizona, Georgia, Michigan, Nevada, North Carolina, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin.
“President Biden has restored true American leadership on the world stage,” Biden campaign manager Julie Chavez Rodriguez said. “While the MAGA Republicans running for president have sided with dictators over democracy, President Biden rallied the West in the wake of Russia’s unjustified invasion of Ukraine and has shown time and again that America under his leadership will always be a beacon of democracy.”
