Joe Biden declared in Warsaw on Tuesday that the North Atlantic Treaty Organization’s assurance to practice collective defence is completely unshakable.
On Tuesday, the US president went to Warsaw, having made a sudden trip to Kyiv the day before.
“I will host every member of NATO for our 2024 summit in the United States together to celebrate the 75th anniversary of the strongest defensive alliance in the history of the world, NATO,” Biden said in his keynote address in the gardens of the Royal Castle in Warsaw on Tuesday.
“Let there be no doubt, the commitment of the United States to our NATO Alliance and Article Five is rock solid,” the US president went on to say.
“And every member of NATO knows it. And Russia knows it as well. An attack against one is an attack against all, it’s a sacred oath to defend every edge of NATO territory,” Biden said.
The US president accused Russia of perpetrating offences against humanity in Ukraine.
“This has been an extraordinary year in every sense,” Biden said. “Extraordinary brutality from Russian forces and mercenaries. They’ve committed depravities, crimes against humanity.”
“They’ve targeted civilians with death and destruction, used rape as a weapon of war, stolen Ukrainian children,” he said, adding that “no one can turn away their eyes from the atrocities Russia is committing against the Ukrainian people.”
The US president declared that sanctions on Russia will be applied and steps will be taken to hold those responsible to account.
“And we’re going to announce more sanctions this week together with our partners and will hold accountable those who are responsible for this war and we will seek justice for the war crimes and crimes against humanity continuing to be committed by the Russians,” he said.
Biden mentioned his trip to Kyiv on Monday and the conversations he had with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, noting that the Ukrainian people were determined.
“One year ago the world was bracing for the fall of Kyiv, well I’ve just come from a visit to Kyiv and I can report: Kyiv stands strong, Kyiv stands proud, it stands tall and, most important, it stands free!,” Biden said.
“When President Putin ordered his tanks to roll into Ukraine, he thought we would roll over. He was wrong,” he said.
Biden also pledged continued support for Ukraine
“The United States has assembled a worldwide coalition of more than 50 nations to get critical weapons and supplies to the brave Ukrainian fighters on the front lines, air defence systems, artillery, ammunition, tanks, armoured vehicles. The European Union and its member states have stepped up with an unprecedented commitment to Ukraine,” he said.
Biden went on to thank the Polish people for accepting a huge wave of Ukrainian refugees.
“Poland is hosting more than 1.5 million refugees from this war,” he said. “God bless your generosity. Your willingness to open your hearts and your home is extraordinary.”
US President Joe Biden has come to Warsaw for a two-day stay. On Wednesday, he will have a meeting with heads of state from the “Bucharest Nine,” which is a collective of nine countries in the eastern edge of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization.