Biden Targets Putin in First State of the Union Address: "Dictator Must Pay for Invasion"

[Image source=AP Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy New York=Special Correspondent Joselgina] "If a dictator does not pay the price for aggression, it causes greater chaos."

U.S. President Joe Biden sharply criticized Russian President Vladimir Putin's invasion of Ukraine as premeditated and unjustified in his first State of the Union address since taking office. He also clearly expressed his intention to impose harsher sanctions on Russia together with allied countries to make 'dictator' President Putin pay the price.

In the State of the Union address held on the night of the 1st (local time) at the U.S. Capitol in Washington D.C., President Biden stated, "President Putin is wrong." He emphasized, "President Putin's war was premeditated and unjustified," adding, "(Putin) thought the West and NATO would not respond and that they could divide us, but he was wrong. We were prepared."

A significant portion of President Biden's speech focused on the Ukraine situation and the U.S.' diplomatic efforts. Targeting President Putin directly, Biden suggested additional sanctions, saying, "If a dictator does not pay the price for aggression, they cause more chaos." The U.S. plans to ban Russian aircraft from flying in its airspace, following Canada and the European Union (EU).

The Russian military is currently conducting indiscriminate bombing operations targeting civilian residential areas in Kyiv, the capital of Ukraine, and Kharkiv, the second-largest city. In Kyiv, five civilians died due to a hit on a TV tower, and in Kharkiv, eight civilians died in residential areas and ten in government buildings, resulting in continuous civilian casualties.

Experts believe that after the Russian military failed to capture major cities due to strong Ukrainian resistance, it has resorted to indiscriminate bombing operations targeting civilians. The U.S. think tank Institute for the Study of War (ISW) reported on the same day, "The Russian military's advance has significantly slowed after failing to capture Kharkiv," and "It is expected to continue indiscriminate bombing of key urban areas."

President Biden also addressed the issue of inflation in the U.S., which is at its highest level in 40 years. He mentioned cost reduction, increased domestic production of automobiles and semiconductors, infrastructure and innovation, and fast and cheap movement of goods as measures against inflation, emphasizing, "Instead of relying on overseas supply chains, let's do it in the U.S."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.