"Blaming the West" Biden Joins Putin...Warnings Expected to Continue

[Asia Economy New York=Special Correspondent Joselgina] On the 21st (local time), Russian President Vladimir Putin blamed the West for the year-long ongoing Ukraine war and announced the suspension of participation in the nuclear arms control treaty with the United States. The U.S. immediately expressed strong regret. Ahead of the one-year anniversary of the war outbreak, U.S. President Joe Biden, who visited Poland, a neighboring country after Kyiv, Ukraine, is expected to deliver a strong warning message to President Putin while reaffirming support for Ukraine in his speech on the afternoon of the same day.

[Image source=Reuters Yonhap News]

◆Following Putin's State of the Nation Address, Biden to Deliver Speech in Poland

President Biden will deliver a speech from 5:30 p.m. at the Kubicki Arcade in the Royal Castle Garden in Poland. This comes just one day after his unannounced visit to Kyiv, the capital of Ukraine, where he stated, "Putin's war of conquest is failing. We reaffirm our unwavering and unyielding commitment to Ukraine's democracy, sovereignty, and territorial integrity."

In particular, this speech draws more attention as it follows immediately after President Putin's address to the Federal Assembly. The New York Times (NYT) noted this as "an unprecedented moment where two leaders standing on opposite sides of the world order confront each other directly ahead of the one-year anniversary of the war's outbreak."

The White House explained that President Biden's speech would not be a direct rebuttal to Putin's address but would focus on values defending democracy and calls for global unity. Ultimately, these contents are expected to criticize the basic premises of President Putin's claims one by one.

Additionally, President Biden is expected to reiterate the message that the U.S. will stand with Ukraine for as long as necessary. White House National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan said, "This is not a one-on-one type of speech. It is not a rhetorical competition with someone else," but "a positive statement showing the vision of the world we want to create and protect."

It has been confirmed that President Biden will not mention issues related to ceasefire or peace agreements in this speech. Advisor Sullivan emphasized, "He will not present a specific diplomatic vision for a ceasefire," and "As the President has said several times, nothing can be decided about Ukraine without Ukraine." Earlier, in a speech delivered in Warsaw, Poland, in March last year shortly after the war broke out, President Biden urged the world and the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) to unite against Russia's invasion, calling for sanctions against Russia and support for Ukraine.

◆Following Russia's New START Suspension Declaration... U.S. State Department Calls It 'Irresponsible'

The U.S. side also dismissed President Putin's state of the nation address, in which he blamed the West for the Ukraine war and announced the suspension of participation in the nuclear arms control treaty. Advisor Sullivan sharply criticized, saying, "If Russia stops the Ukraine war and returns, the war will end."

In his state of the nation address at the Gostiny Dvor exhibition hall in Moscow, President Putin declared the suspension of participation in the New Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty (New START) with the United States. Signed in 2010, New START is a treaty that requires the U.S. and Russia to reduce their nuclear warheads to fewer than 1,550 each and their nuclear delivery vehicles to fewer than 1,500 each, with periodic inspections of nuclear facilities by both sides.

President Putin claimed, "The West started the war, and we used force to stop it," and "The West is trying to escalate a regional conflict into a global conflict." He also warned that additional Western military support for Ukraine would provoke a Russian military response. Threatening remarks suggesting nuclear tests were also made. He said, "If the U.S. conducts nuclear tests, we will do the same," and "The Ministry of Defense and (state nuclear company) Rosatom must prepare for this."

[Image source=Yonhap News]

In response, U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken expressed immediate regret, saying, "Russia's announcement to suspend participation in (New START) is very regrettable and irresponsible," and "We will closely watch what Russia actually does." Visiting Greece, he added, "We are always ready to engage in dialogue with Russia on strategic arms limitations regardless of what happens in the world or in our relations with Russia."

The foreign ministers of the Group of Seven (G7), including the United States, issued a joint statement saying, "We condemn Russia's irresponsible nuclear-related remarks," and "they will not deter or discourage us. We will support Ukraine for as long as necessary." NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg also expressed "regret."

Following the 2019 dissolution of the Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces Treaty (INF), which limited the arms race between the two countries, Russia's declaration to suspend participation in New START is seen as breaking all nuclear arms reduction agreements symbolizing the post-Cold War era between the two countries.

However, within the United States, there is also a growing view that Russia has already not been complying with the New START treaty. A meeting to implement the New START treaty was scheduled for November last year but was suspended due to Russia's notification of postponement. State Department spokesperson Ned Price told CNN, "It is unclear whether there will be any substantive impact," but "we see no reason to change our nuclear posture or strategic posture."

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