President Joe Biden has given a speech before a large crowd outside The Royal Castle in Warsaw, Poland.
The U.S President is presently in Poland after making an unannounced visit to Ukraine. In his speech, Biden described Poland as a great ally and thanked the country’s leaders for their welcome.
Biden stated that a year ago, Russia’s President Putin “unleashed his murderous assault on Ukraine”.
“One year ago, the world was bracing for the fall of Kyiv. Well I’ve just come from Kyiv and I can report Kyiv stands strong. We stood up for democracy. Democracy was too strong for Putin.”
President Joe Biden
Biden remarked that President of Russia, Vladimir Putin has ended up getting the “Nato-isation of Finland and Sweden,” adding that NATO is “more united than ever”.
The fear of potential NATO expansion was one reason Russia launched its invasion.
Biden disclosed that while Putin thought the West would depend on Russian energy markets, they instead found other markets and worked alongside the U.S to end dependence on Russian fossil fuels.
Biden praised the courage of Ukraine’s President, Volodymyr Zelenskyy, saying that Zelenskyy’s courage has been forged in fire and steel.
“Democracy in the world has grown stronger, not weaker, but the autocrats of the world have gotten weaker.”
President Joe Biden
Biden iterated that knowing what you stand for is most important and knowing who stands with you makes all the difference.
He says he is proud to stand with the “freedom loving people” of these nations as their fight in “gaining independence put them on the path to EU membership”.
Putin “still doubts our conviction”, Biden said. Nonetheless, he insisted that the West’s support for Ukraine “will not waiver”. He and his allies “will not tire”.
Biden reiterated NATO’s commitment to staying united to ensure “Putin’s crave and lust for land and power will fail”.
Ukraine Will Never Be A Victory For Russia
In his speech, The President of U.S cautioned that “brutality will never grind down the will of the free”. He declared, “Ukraine will never be a victory for Russia, never.” This was met with applause from the crowd.
Biden made the message clearer with another strong sentiment of how “free people refuse to live in a world of hopelessness and darkness”.
Biden detailed the alleged abuses committed by Russia during the war. These include using rape as a weapon of war, Biden stated, and an attempt to “steal” Ukraine’s future by taking children away from their homeland.
“No one can turn their eyes away. It’s abhorrent, it’s abhorrent,” Biden stated.
However, Biden noted that the response of Ukrainian people and the rest of the world has been “extraordinary”.
Biden reminded the audience that Ukraine is still “independent and free” despite Russia’s efforts. “From Kherson to Kharkiv, Ukrainian fighters have reclaimed their land”, he said.
Biden iterated that Zelenskyy’s government was democratically elected and still represents the will of the Ukrainian people. He also noted that the UN general assembly has condemned Russia’s invasion.
War Was Never A Necessity
Addressing Putin’s claim that the West started the war, Biden remarked that the West was not plotting to attack Russia and that the war was never a necessity, but it is a tragedy.
Biden disclosed that President Putin chose this war, and he could easily end it.
“If Russia stopped invading Ukraine it would stop the war, but if Ukraine stopped defending itself, it would mean the end of Ukraine.”
President Joe Biden
Biden said that’s why Ukraine is continuing to receive support from its Western allies.
The U.S and its allies have also looked to address the global fallout of the war, Biden said, after “Putin tried to starve the world” by blocking Ukrainian grain exports on the Black Sea.
Allies have worked hard to “bolster global food supply” and head off a crisis, the U.S President said.
Biden revealed how allies will announce more sanctions this week together so they can “seek justice for the crimes against humanity committed by Russia”.
Biden concluded his speech by thanking Poland, Ukrainian troops and “all those who defend freedom”.
“Let us move forward with faith and conviction and with an abiding commitment to be allies, not of darkness but of light.”
President Joe Biden
READ ALSO: EU Urges Members To Provide More Ammunition To Kyiv
