US President Joe Biden delivered his annual State of the Union address to both houses of Congress, listing among his achievements the creation of an international coalition supporting Ukraine in its opposition to Russian aggression.
The war in Ukraine, however, took up little space in Biden’s speech, which lasted about an hour and a half, and he addressed this topic towards the end.
He paid much more attention to the achievements of his administration, including the state of the economy, the lowest unemployment rate in 50 years, and such specific problems of American society as racism in the police and firearms falling into the hands of the mentally unstable people.
It was the third message from President Biden and the first since the November midterm elections, after which the Republicans won the majority in the House of Representatives.
The Republicans’ numerical superiority, however, is extremely small and much smaller than expected before the election, and they failed to take the Senate. The speech of the president, who turned 80 in November, was confident and combative.
Biden recalled that he delivered his last message in the early days of a full-scale Russian invasion of Ukraine – “a bloody onslaught that evokes images of the death and destruction that Europe experienced during World War II.”
“Putin’s invasion has been a test of the ages,” the American president continued. “A test for America. A test for the world. Will we stand up for the most basic principles? Will we defend sovereignty? protection of democracy? After all, such protection is important to us, it keeps the peace and prevents the hunting season for all potential aggressors who threaten our security and prosperity.”
“A year later, we know the answer. Yes, we will defend. We are already defending. Together we did what America does at its best. We led. We united NATO. We assembled a global coalition. We opposed Putin’s aggression. Ukrainian people,” Biden said.
He addressed Oksana Markarova, Ukrainian Ambassador to the United States, who was in the hall, and asked the audience to greet her with applause.
“She represents not just her nation, but the courage of her people. Ambassador, America is united in supporting your country. We will stand with you for as long as it takes,” Biden said.
Source: British Broadcasting Corporation
