US President Joe Biden delivered his first State of the Union speech to a joint session of the Congress on Wednesday. He spoke at length about the Russia-Ukraine war and said that the invasion will leave Russia weaker. The address comes amid low approval ratings for the US President, and even lower ratings for the way the US administration is handling the war.
“When the history of this era is written, Putin’s war on Ukraine will have left Russia weaker and the rest of the world stronger,” said the President, further adding that the country and its allies will provide support to Ukraine in the fight for their freedom. It will provide military, economic and humanitarian assistance, he said.
President Biden said that the “US Department of Justice is assembling a dedicated task force to go after the crimes of Russian oligarchs”. “We are joining with our European allies to find and seize their yachts, their luxury apartments, their private jets. We are coming for their ill-begotten gains,” he said.
The US President said that Russian President Vladimir Putin thought he could roll into Ukraine, while the world rolled over. “Instead, he met a wall of strength he never imagined. He met the Ukrainian people,” he added. President Biden said that Putin has “no idea what’s coming”. Putin is now isolated from the world more than ever, said the US President.
These statements come after a long list of companies shunned doing business with Russia amid the Ukraine invasion. American companies like Apple, Google, Ford, Harley-Davidson and Exxon Mobil rebuked and rejected Russia for its invasion of Ukraine.
President Biden also spoke about US’ inflation and said: "We have a choice. One way to fight inflation is to drive down wages and make Americans poorer. I think I have a better idea to fight inflation: Lower your costs, not your wages. Make more cars and semiconductors in America. More infrastructure and innovation in America."
He said that the US is “done talking about infrastructure weeks” and instead would have an “infrastructure decade”. "We’ll create good jobs for millions of Americans, modernising roads, airports, ports and waterways all across America. And we’ll do it all to withstand the devastating effects of the climate crisis and promote environmental justice," he added.
"We’ll build a national network of 500,000 electric vehicle charging stations, begin to replace poisonous lead pipes — so every child — and every American — has clean water to drink at home and at school, provide affordable high-speed internet for every American — urban, suburban, rural and tribal communities," said the US President.
The State of the Union is a constitutionally mandated annual statement the US President has to make to apprise lawmakers about the country’s state of affairs.
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