[408] She was confirmed by the U.S. Senate on April 7[409] and sworn in on June 30.[410]

Foreign policy
Biden with refugees from Ukraine in Warsaw, Poland, March 2022
In early February, Biden ordered the counterterrorism raid in northern Syria that resulted in the death of Abu Ibrahim al-Hashimi al-Qurashi, the second leader of the Islamic State.[411] In late July, Biden approved the drone strike that killed Ayman al-Zawahiri, the second leader of Al-Qaeda, and an integral member in the planning of the September 11 attacks.[412]
Also in February, after warning for several weeks that an attack was imminent, Biden led the U.S. response to the Russian invasion of Ukraine, imposing severe sanctions on Russia and authorizing over $8 billion in weapons shipments to Ukraine.[413][414][415] On April 29, Biden asked Congress for $33 billion for Ukraine,[416] but lawmakers later increased it to about $40 billion.[417] Biden blamed Vladimir Putin for the emerging energy and food crises,[418] saying, "Putin's war has raised the price of food because Ukraine and Russia are two of the world's major bread baskets for wheat and corn, the basic product for so many foods around the world.