US President Joe Biden during his first State of the Union address on Tuesday (local time) reiterated that his country will not deploy troops in Ukraine against the Russian forces. Condemning Russia’s “premeditated attack” in Ukraine, Biden said, “Putin has unleashed violence and chaos. But while he may make gains on the battlefield – he will pay a continuing high price over the long run.”
Biden also said that the NATO alliance was created to secure peace and stability in Europe after World War II and the US stands with Ukraine in the ongoing conflict. However, Biden added that the US will not have boots on the ground in the ongoing war. “Let me be clear — our forces are not engaged and will not engage in the conflict with Russian forces in Ukraine,” he said.
He added that American forces will engage with Russian forces only to defend NATO allies in Europe “in the event that Putin decides to keep moving west.” Biden further stated, “For that purpose, we have mobilized American ground forces, air squadrons, ship deployments to protect NATO countries, including Poland, Romania, Latvia, Lithuania, and Estonia.”
Expressing solidarity with Ukrainians, Biden said, “The Ukrainians are fighting back with pure courage. But the next few days weeks, months, will be hard on them.”
