US President Joe Biden rallied NATO allies in Poland on Tuesday, proclaiming “unwavering” support for Kyiv and commitments to bolster the alliance’s eastern flank against Russia, Reuters reports.
Biden used the trip to rally support for Ukraine as the war enters its second year, and it came on the same day as a speech by Russian President Vladimir Putin suspending a landmark nuclear accord with Washington.
Biden spoke after meeting NATO ally and Polish President Andrzej Duda, a vocal proponent of stronger Western support for Kyiv.
“One year ago, the world was bracing for the fall of Kyiv,” Biden said. “I can report: Kyiv stands strong, Kyiv stands proud, it stands tall and, most important, it stands free.”
He added: “When President Putin ordered his tanks to roll into Ukraine, he thought we would roll over. He was wrong.”
“Instead, NATO is more united and more unified than ever — than ever before,” Biden said.
Earlier today Russian President Vladimir Putin accused the West of starting the war.
It was the West that started the war in Ukraine, and Russia is using force to stop it, Russian President Vladimir Putin said in an address to the Federal Assembly.
Putin said Russia tried to settle the conflict in the Donbas region by peaceful means.
“We were doing everything possible to solve this problem peacefully, negotiating a peaceful way out of this difficult conflict, but behind our backs a very different scenario was being prepared,” he said.
The Russian President accused the West of using Ukraine as a training ground and a “battering ram” against Russia.
