WASHINGTON –– President Joe Biden underscored America’s steadfast support for Ukraine during his second State of the Union address Tuesday night, noting the administration’s actions to date and committing to standing by its ally.
Just weeks before the one-year anniversary of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, Biden reiterated his commitment that the U.S. will stand by Ukraine for “as long as it takes,” even as some Republican lawmakers have begun to question whether the U.S. is investing too many resources to helping Ukraine win the war.
The address comes on the heels of recent increases in military and financial aid to Ukraine. Last month, the Biden administration announced that it would send 31 of its powerful M1 Abrams tanks to Ukraine, amounting to a significant escalation in military support to Ukraine as several European countries announced similar contributions.
Ukrainian troops are also undergoing training on the U.S. Patriot missile defense system at Fort Sill in Oklahoma.
The U.S. has committed over $30 billion of security assistance to Ukraine since Biden took office. Biden, however, did not announce any new assistance to Ukraine, nor he did touch on whether the U.S. will agree to send F-16 fighter jets, as Kyiv has requested.
Biden framed the war in dire terms, calling it a “murderous assult” and drawing comparisons to World War II.
“Together, we did what America always does at our best,” he said. “We led. We united NATO. We built a global coalition. We stood against Putin’s aggression.”
Biden framed the war in Ukraine as part of a larger battle between democracy and autocracy that is taking place on the global stage and also includes the U.S.’ increasingly adversarial relationship with China. He called the war “a test for the ages” and said that U.S. support for Ukraine sends a message to potential aggressors that threats to the security of the U.S. and its allies will not be tolerated.
“Our nation is working for more freedom, more dignity and more peace, not just in Europe, but everywhere,” Biden said.
Biden also blamed “Putin’s war” for disrupting the supply of energy and food and contributing to global inflation as he touted his administration’s efforts to bring prices down.
Oksana Markarova, Ukraine’s ambassador to the U.S., was present at the president’s speech as a guest of the first lady for the second consecutive year.
