Putin was wrong. America and the West are ready: Biden

Although President Joe Biden will touch on many topics, Russia’s invasion of Ukraine will dominate his State of the Union Address on Tuesdaythe first that he pronounces as president before a joint session of Congress and that will be seen from now on as transcendental for his still young stay in the White House.

(You can read: ‘We must stop the aggressor as soon as possible,’ Zelenski tells Biden)

The central axis of intervention will be one that Biden has been insisting on even before reaching the Oval Office: the almost existential battle that democracy is waging against the autocrats of the world and that, in this case, has just materialized in the first war on European soil since World War II.

“Throughout history we have learned this lesson. When dictators do not pay a price for their aggression, they cause even more chaos. They keep moving. And the costs and threats to the United States and the world continue to grow,” the president will say. , by indicating that will continue to lead the West’s response against the regime of Vladimir Putin and that includes strong economic sanctions, as well as military and humanitarian aid.

According to the president, Putin’s “It has been a premeditated war and without any provocation”. “He rejected all diplomatic efforts and believed that the West and NATO would not respond. And he believed that he could divide us here at home. But Putin was wrong. We are ready.”will say the president, who in passing will make a strong defense of the Atlantic Alliance and its founding objective.

(Follow the minute by minute of the invasion: Russia bombs several cities and reinforces troops in Kiev).

For the president, NATO was created to face precisely the type of crisis that Russia has unleashed and that is endangering “the peace and stability of Europe.”

Although these types of speeches tend to focus on the domestic agenda, since they offer the president a unique opportunity to address the Americans, the serious world crisis caused by the invasion of the former Soviet republic will end up imposing itself as the central narrative of the address.

The president will also highlight that his administration has already authorized more than $500 million in assistance to this country and will ask Congress to approve an emergency supplement of more than $10 billion to help Ukraine as soon as possible.

Of course, it will once again make it clear that for the moment the US has no intention of sending troops to this conflict.

Biden will use this moment of great media exposure to try to explain to Americans the importance of the current moment for the security of the planet and the reason why the United States must play hard in a region that for many Americans still looks distant.

(Also: Video: the impressive moment of the attack on the Kiev TV tower)

Biden’s speech comes at a time when his presidency has been undermined by missteps – such as the abrupt exit from Afghanistan – and furious Republican opposition in Congress, which has held him back from much of his agenda. Prior to this week, his popularity hovered at a pyrrhic 42 percent. And while the divisions in the country remain very sharp, the Russian invasion has unified – at least on this issue – both Democrats and Republicans.

Economy, the other axis

Another topic that will be paramount in his speech, and that is related to Ukraine, is that of inflation. In the last 12 months, the price increase in the US has reached 7.5 percent, figures not seen in more than 4 decades. Something that has undoubtedly affected the image of the president, since nothing weighs more than the state of the wallet.

And the war in this country will probably trigger it more, as it affects the price of fuel, which was already through the roof, and the production chains that were coming to a halt as a result of the pandemic. In addition to the collateral effects that the new sanctions will bring to the world economy.

In that sense, Biden will offer a new four-point plan with which he hopes to tackle inflation. “One way to tackle it is to lower wages and make everyone poorer. But I have a better plan. Lower costs and not wages. Make more cars and more semiconductors in America. More American infrastructure and innovation. More products moving faster and cheaper, more jobs that offer a good life in America. Instead of relying on foreign supply chains, let’s make them in America.”the president will say.

(Also read: Russia is revolted: it bombs several cities and reinforces troops in Kiev)

According to the president, something economists call “increasing the productive capacity of the economy but what I call building a better America. My plan will lower your costs and reduce the deficit.”

In this sense, he will highlight his plan to reform the country’s infrastructure, which Congress approved at the end of last year, and he asked the legislature toadvance in a set of initiatives to combat climate change, which are also job generators.

Despite the “Ukrainian” tone of the speech, Biden will also focus on other issues on the agenda, such as the fight against covid-19.

At this point, the president will talk about a new post-pandemic strategy focused on mitigation thanks to the great advances made in vaccines and treatments against the virus.

Another of the most relevant aspects of his speech will revolve around the recent nomination of Ketanji Brown Jackson to the Supreme Court of Justice. If confirmed, Brown Jackson would be the first woman of color to occupy a seat on the high court with which Biden also fulfills one of her campaign promises.

Something he urgently needs, since his low popularity ratings are largely a reflection of the dissatisfaction that exists in the base of the Democratic party due to the lack of achievements in the liberal agenda.

To a large extent, the State of the Union Address will be seen as an opportunity for Biden, allowing him to refocus his mandate just when the country is in the final stretch of the legislative elections and on which control of Congress depends for the next two years.

(Keep reading: Ukrainians protest in front of the house of the Russian ambassador in Bogotá)

SERGIO GOMEZ MASERI
Correspondent of THE TIME
Washington
On Twitter @sergom68