February 21, 2023, 17:44 – BLiTZ – News
Joe Biden’s chief national security adviser, Jake Sullivan, said the president is going to address the world’s democracies on Tuesday to continue to stand up to Russia in Ukraine in defense of freedom. Michael Shire, a columnist for The New York Times writes about this.
According to the author, Biden’s speech will be delivered at the Royal Palace in Warsaw, where he already spoke almost a year ago at the initial stage of Russia’s special operation in Ukraine.
Previously, Biden made an informal trip to Kyiv and met with President Volodymyr Zelensky. In his speech, the president does not intend to directly counter today’s speech by Russian leader Vladimir Putin, who in his annual address accused the United States and its allies of starting the war and said that Ukraine is in the hands of “Western masters.”
However, Biden will challenge Putin’s main theses and call on the democratic states to unite in a coalition to resist the “Russian invasion”, to impose tough economic sanctions against Russia and to provide assistance to Ukraine.
In his speech, Biden will also refute Putin’s claim that the West is responsible for the conflict in Ukraine. At the same time, the issue of cessation of hostilities will not be raised. Sullivan also said that democracies have successfully imposed sanctions and are providing assistance to Ukraine, but the conflict continues and pressure on Ukraine is intensifying.
On February 24, 2022, the Russian Federation Army launched a special military operation in Ukraine.
Acting head of the Donetsk People’s Republic Denis Pushilin said that the Russian Armed Forces are approaching Vuhledar from three directions at once: from the south, southwest and west. The head of the DPR stressed that “the process is not going fast.”
President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelensky, in turn, said that the situation in Donbass is getting tougher. According to Zelensky, a very difficult situation for the Armed Forces of Ukraine is developing in Artemovsk (Bakhmut) and Vugledar, as well as in Limansky and other directions.