Biden Says the West “Will Not Be Intimidated” by Russia as Putin Promises Victory in Ukraine

President Joe Biden affirmed this Friday that United States and NATO “They will not be intimidated” by the Russian president, Vladimir Putin, and warned that the Atlantic alliance will defend “every centimeter” of its territory.

“The United States and its allies will not be intimidated,” he said at the White House. Putin “is not going to scare us”.

Biden pointed a finger at the television camera as he warned Putin: “The United States is fully prepared, with our NATO allies, to defend every inch of NATO territory.” Putin, don’t misunderstand what I’m saying: every inch“.

The US president spoke shortly after Putin presided over a ceremony in Moscow to declare that Russia has annexed four territories from Ukraine, even as Western-armed Ukrainian troops continue to fight in them to regain control.

Putin has hinted that as the territories have been declared part of Russia the Kremlin could legitimate recourse to nuclear weapons to defend them.

Some “reckless threats”, according to Biden, who considers that Putin is trying to show strength when in reality “he is having problems”.

Biden also mentioned a vote in Congress this Friday to approve $12.3 billion more in aid military for Ukraine.

“We are going to stay the course. We are going to continue to provide military equipment so that Ukraine can defend itself and its territory and freedom,” he said.

On the explosion in the Nord Stream gas pipeline, Biden affirmed, like other Western leaders, that it was “a deliberate act of sabotage”.

He did not say who he believes is behind the attack, but called Russian accusations that Washington was involved “disinformation and lies.”

“We will work with our allies to get to the bottom of what exactly, precisely happened,” he told reporters.

“At the appropriate time, when things calm down, we will send divers to find out exactly what happened,” he said. “We don’t know exactly yet.”

He added that the United States is cooperating with its allies to “enhance the protection of this critical infrastructure.”

Putin promises “victory” in Ukraine

Russian President Vladimir Putin signed this Friday in the Kremlin the annexation of four regions of Ukraine controlled by his army and promised the Russians “victory” after seven months of military offensive in the country.

The lavish ceremony, marking a turning point in the conflict and in recent post-Soviet history, came hours after at least 25 people died in a bombing in the southern Ukrainian region of Zaporizhia, in one of the worst attacks on civilians in months.

Putin sounded defiant during a speech to Russia’s political elite, warning that annexation was irreversible and urging the Ukrainian military to lay down its arms and negotiate.

“I want to say this to the kyiv regime and its masters in the West: the inhabitants of Luhansk and Donetsk, Kherson and Zaporizhia become our citizens forever,” Putin said.

“We urge the kyiv regime to immediately cease firing, all hostilities and return to the negotiating table,” Putin added.

In a packed hall, those gathered in the Kremlin chanted “Russia! Russia!” in unison after the four leaders ratified the pact.

The United States announced more sanctions against Russian officials and the country’s defense industry, saying that G7 allies they agreed to sanction any state that supports annexation.

Ukrainian President Volodimir Zelensky announced that Ukraine will sign an accelerated NATO membership application in a video posted on social media.

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No talking to Putin

Minutes after Russia formalized the annexation, Ukrainian President Volodimir Zelenski said that Ukraine “will not negotiate” with Russia as long as “Putin is president” of that country.

The US president, Joe Biden, criticized the ceremony this Friday in Moscow, which he described as a “false routine” prepared for Putin to show his strength, although in reality what he did was show “that he is in trouble” and promised to continue supporting to Ukraine.

NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg also condemned the annexation, calling it “illegal and illegitimate”, but warned on Friday that Ukraine’s accession to the military alliance requires the consensus of member countries.

In the days leading up to the ceremony, Putin had warned that he might use nuclear weapons to maintain his control over those territories, but Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba said kyiv “will continue to liberate our land and our people.”

Russia vetoes UN resolution on annexations

Russia vetoed this Friday at the UN Security Council the resolution condemning the annexation referendums held by Moscow in four regions of Ukraine, in a vote in which Brazil, China, Gabon and India abstained.

The text, proposed by the United States and Albania and put to the vote of the 15 members of the Council, obtained 10 votes in favor, one against (Russia) and four abstentions.

The resolution condemned “illegal referendums”, which “have no validity” and “cannot form the basis of any alteration of the status of these regions”, including “any alleged annexation”.

There is a risk that Putin will use a nuclear weapon

There is a risk that Russian President Vladimir Putin could resort to nuclear weapons, but there is no sign of an “imminent” use, US national security adviser Jake Sullivan said on Friday.

“There is a risk, given all the mumbo jumbo and nuclear saber rattling from Putin, that he will consider it and we have been clear about what the consequences would be,” Sullivan told reporters.

“Currently we see no indication of the imminent use of nuclear weapons,” he added, stressing that Washington was communicating privately but “directly with Russia about the kind of decisive response the United States would have.”