Ahead of the first anniversary of Russia’s attack on Ukraine, US President Joe Biden has expressed his confidence that Russia will not win the war. “Ukraine will never be a victory for Russia – never,” said Biden on Tuesday during a speech in front of the Royal Castle in the Polish capital of Warsaw. Ukraine is “strong”, “proud” and “free” and can continue to count on the support of the West. “There should be no doubt: our support for Ukraine will not wane, NATO will not split and we will not tire,” said Biden, who made a surprise visit to Kiev the day before.
The US President also opposed statements by Russian President Vladimir Putin that the West wanted to “do away with Russia once and for all”: “The West does not plan to secretly attack Russia, as Putin said today,” stressed Biden. Putin had previously said in a speech in Moscow that the West was “fully” responsible for the escalation in Ukraine. “Western elites are not hiding their goal: to inflict a strategic defeat on Russia, that is, to finish us off once and for all.”
The US President wants to maintain and expand sanctions against Russia over the Ukraine war. “We continue to maintain the largest sanctions regime ever imposed on any country in history,” Biden said Tuesday night in Warsaw. “And we will join our partners this week in announcing further sanctions that will hold those responsible for this war accountable.” It is about bringing justice to the war crimes and crimes against humanity that the Russians continue to commit, he said.
Biden spoke at the Warsaw Royal Castle, which is considered a symbol of the Polish capital, which was largely destroyed in World War II and later rebuilt.
