“Ukraine will never be a victory for Russia – ever,” he added. Ukraine is “strong”, “proud” and “free” despite the extremely brutal actions of the Russian armed forces and can continue to count on the support of the West. He also stressed that US support for Ukraine is bipartisan in the US. He also assured Moldova of US support. Freedom is at stake.
At the same time, Biden emphasized that nobody had the intention of attacking Russia. Russian President Vladimir Putin could end the war with one word. Biden spoke a few hours after a speech by Putin, who again blamed the West for the Ukraine war and accused Russia of an attack – but Biden made no reference to Putin’s speech.
Biden warns Putin against attacking NATO
Instead, Biden warned Russia of an attack on a NATO member state and threatened a powerful military response. “There is no doubt that the United States’ commitment to our NATO alliance and to Article Five is rock solid. Every member of NATO knows it, and so does Russia: an attack on one is an attack on all. It is a sacred oath to defend every inch of NATO territory,” Biden said.
“Autocracies have weakened”
Biden also contradicted the thesis that democracies were in retreat. “Not the democracies, the autocracies have weakened,” he said. He praised Poland’s willingness to help, which has already taken in more than 1.5 million Ukrainian war refugees. Biden spoke at the Warsaw Royal Castle, which is considered a symbol of the Polish capital, which was once largely destroyed in World War II and later rebuilt.
New sanctions announced
Biden wants to maintain and expand the sanctions against Russia. “We continue to maintain the largest sanctions regime ever imposed on any country in history,” Biden said. “And this week, together with our partners, we will announce further sanctions that will hold everyone responsible for this war accountable.” It is about bringing justice to the war crimes and crimes against humanity that the Russians continue to commit.
Duda calls on NATO countries for further military aid
Poland’s President Andrzej Duda spoke immediately before Biden at the Royal Castle. He appealed to NATO member states in Europe to continue supporting Ukraine with arms. “I call on all heads of state and government of European NATO countries to show solidarity with Ukraine, support Ukraine and give it military support so that the defenders of Ukraine have something to fight with,” Duda said .
“Don’t hesitate, don’t be afraid. It’s no time for ‘business as usual’ now,” says Duda. He went on to say that Ukraine, under attack from Russia, was on fire, with WWII-like scenarios playing out there. “This is happening because Russia wants to become an empire again and realize its ambitions of enslaving other peoples.” The free world cannot allow that, he warned.
NATO ‘stronger than ever’
Even before his speech, Biden emphasized the strength of NATO. “It’s the most significant alliance, I would say, perhaps the most significant alliance in history, and not just in modern history, but in all of history,” Biden said in a meeting with Duda. A year after the start of the Russian war of aggression against Ukraine, NATO is “stronger than ever”.
Duda thanked the US President for his visit to Kiev the day before. This has boosted the morale of the defenders of the country attacked by Russia, said Duda at the meeting with the US President ahead of the speeches. “But it was also a remarkable gesture towards our allies in NATO and the people who stand on the side of the free world.”
Surprisingly traveled to Kyiv
Biden traveled to Kiev on Monday under the strictest security precautions and visited symbolic places together with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy. Biden arrived in Warsaw on Tuesday night. Biden used the short visit primarily to promise Ukraine continued US support and to send a signal of unity to Russian President Putin.
Biden meets Eastern European NATO countries
On the second day of his visit to Poland, Biden will meet representatives of several Eastern European NATO countries in Warsaw on Wednesday. The group includes Poland, Romania, Bulgaria, Hungary, the Czech Republic, Slovakia and the three Baltic states of Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania – i.e. the states along NATO’s eastern flank. NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg is also expected to attend the deliberations.
