Biden Condemns Putin, Says Ukraine 'Will Never Be Victory For Russia. Never'

Washington D.C./22.02.23/Turan:  Just 24 hours after a dramatic surprise visit to Kyiv, U.S. President Joe Biden on Tuesday reiterated unyielding U.S. support and the durability of the coalition essential to Ukraine's against Russian invasion, TURAN's Washington correspondent reports.

"Ukraine will never be a victory for Russia. Never." Biden told a Warsaw crowd adding that "brutality will never grind down the will of a free Ukraine."

The historic speech came just days before the anniversary of the Russian invasion of Ukraine, the largest land grab attempt in Europe since the end of World War II, while many in Moscow, as well as in the West, predicted Kyiv to fall quickly.

"Well, I've just come from a visit to Kyiv and I can report Kyiv stands strong," Biden told the crowd in Warsaw. "Kyiv stands proud, it stands tall and, most importantly, stands free." 

In his speech Biden singled out Putin by name 10 times, going after the Russian leader directly as he rallied the world behind Ukraine.

Putin, he said, had unleashed a murderous assault, ordered tanks into Ukraine and attempted to starve the world: "President Putin's craven lust for land and power will fail, and the Ukrainians' love for their country will prevail."

Biden said Ukraine has been tested by Putin's invasion, but it isn't the only nation being tested. "The whole world faced a test for the ages," he said. "Europe was being tested. America was being tested, NATO is being tested, all democracies are being tested."

He went on to reinstate that Putin thought he was “tough” but then met the “iron will of merica”. “He thought autocrats like himself were tough and leaders of democracy were soft and then he met the iron will of America and nations everywhere that refused to accept a world governed by fear,” Biden said, adding that autocrats cannot be appeased but opposed. "Autocrats only understand one word — no, no, no," he said. "No, you will not take my country. No, you will not take my freedom. No, you will not take my future."

Biden has called the Russian invasion "an unprovoked war."  "It's simple," he explained. "If Russia stopped invading Ukraine, it would end the war. If Ukraine stopped defending itself against Russia, it would be the end of Ukraine. That's why together, we're making sure Ukraine [can] defend itself."

Russia is under sanctions and more will be announced this week, Biden said. "We'll hold accountable those who are responsible for this war and will seek justice for the war crimes and crimes against humanity continuing to be committed by the Russians," he said. 

He also addressed Russian people, assuring them that the U.S. and the other nations did not seek this war, nor did they seek to destroy or control Russia.

"The West was not plotting to attack Russia, as Putin said today," he said. "And millions of Russian citizens who only want to live in peace with their neighbors are not the enemy."

As for the Western commitment to Ukraine, Biden sounded clear-eyed about it: "The defense of freedom is not the work of a day or a year,... It's always difficult. It's always important," he said.  "As Ukraine continues to defend itself against the Russian onslaught and launch counter offensives of its own, there will continue to be hard and very bitter days, victories and tragedies," he added.

Alex Raufoglu