The president of the United States, Joe Biden, sent his Russian counterpart, Vladimir Putin, a message this Thursday during his State of the Union address, stating that he will not give in to its threats to NATO and Washington will not abandon Ukraine.
“My message to President Putin is clear. We will not withdraw. We will not give in, I will not give in. History watches us“said the US president before both chambers of Congress.
Biden urged Congress to “stand up to Putin” and to approve the military aid package for Ukraine that has been stalled for months and has been heavily affected by the electoral campaign ahead of the November elections.
“If the United States backs down now, it will put Ukraine at risk. It will put Europe at risk. It will put the free world at risk, and it will be an invitation to others who wish to do us harm.”, argued the president.
In addition, Biden reaffirmed his commitment to NATO and harshly referred to some comments recently made by former President Donald Trump (2017-2021), who is heading without rivals towards the Republican nomination ahead of the November elections.
“A former American president actually said that, caving in, to a Russian leader. He is outrageous. It is dangerous. It is unacceptable”said Biden.
Specifically, during an election rally in February, Trump lashed out at NATO and stated that, if it were up to him, he would allow Russia “to do whatever it wanted,” including attacking Alliance members that do not spend 2% of their GDP to defense, an objective established by the transatlantic organization and that about twenty members do not meet.
Likewise, the president took the opportunity to pay tribute to the Prime Minister of Sweden, Ulf Kristersson, who was among the guests of the US first lady, Jill Biden, and whose country has just officially become a member of the Atlantic Alliance.
“Mr. Prime Minister, welcome to NATO, the most powerful military alliance the world has ever known!”, proclaimed Biden, who during his career, first in the Senate and then as Barack Obama’s vice president (2009-2017), has distinguished himself for his support for NATO.
Apart from the Prime Minister of Sweden, the White House had also invited the wife of the Ukrainian president, Olena Zelenska, and Yulia Navalny, the widow of Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny, who died in February, sparking vigils within Russia and outrage to the speech. of a large part of the international community.
Despite the invitation, both Zelenska and Navalny refused to attend the speech.
Source: Gestion
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