Biden assails Putin, pledges inflation fight in State of Union

Joe Biden vowed to confront Russia over its invasion of Ukraine, fight inflation at home and turn the page on the COVID-19 pandemic in a State of the Union address.

Joe Biden vowed to confront Russia over its invasion of Ukraine, fight inflation at home and turn the page on the coronavirus pandemic in a State of the Union address intended to reassure a nation on edge -- and reviving his troubled presidency.

Biden sought to show U.S. solidarity with Ukraine by inviting his audience -- including the country’s ambassador -- to stand in support for the country. Democrats and Republicans stood and cheered, a rare show of unity after a year of bitter divisions that left the president’s agenda stalled. 

The president rattled off a litany of retaliatory actions against the Kremlin, including an announcement that the U.S. would close its airspace to Russian airlines, following European allies. He warned Russian President Vladimir Putin that the war would leave his country weaker and more isolated.

“He thought he could roll into Ukraine and the world would roll over. Instead he met a wall of strength he never imagined. He met the Ukrainian people,” Biden said. But he cautioned that “a Russian dictator, invading a foreign country, has costs around the world.”

Though Russia’s invasion of Ukraine forced the White House to recast Biden’s speech, he spent less than 10 minutes discussing the conflict and Putin before turning to the issue Americans care most about: the economic hardships of the pandemic.

“We meet tonight in an America that has lived through two of the hardest years this nation has ever faced,” Biden said. “The pandemic has been punishing.”