In his State of the Union address, President Biden reiterates unwavering support for Ukraine, emphasizing commitment amidst international tensions.
The speech began with a dramatic comparison between his situation and the predicament of January 1941, when “President Franklin Roosevelt came to this chamber to speak to the nation,” saying, “I address you at a moment unprecedented in the history of the Union.”
Recalling that moment, Biden said that “Hitler was on the march. War was raging in Europe. President Roosevelt’s purpose was to wake up the Congress and alert the American people that this was no ordinary moment,” as “Freedom and democracy were under assault in the world.”
Biden warned: “If anybody in this room thinks Putin will stop at Ukraine, I assure you, he will not.”
Twice the President repeated that Ukraine needs weapons, saying that Kyiv is “not asking for American soldiers,” carefully delineating his position from that of some recent European leaders’ comments by saying that “there are no American soldiers at war in Ukraine, and I am determined to keep it that way.”
Expressing shock, he continued: “A former American President actually said that, bowing down to a Russian leader. It’s outrageous. It’s dangerous. It’s unacceptable.”
