US President Joe Biden said that America will be joining Canada and European Union in banning Russian aircraft from its airspace for war in Ukraine. Biden opened his first State of the Union address by directly calling out Vladimir Putin, saying the Russia President “badly miscalculated” in thinking that he could bend the “foundations of the free world” to his “menacing ways”.
“Six days ago, Russia’s Vladimir Putin sought to shake the very foundations of the free world. Thinking he could make it bend to his menacing ways. But he badly miscalculated. He thought he could roll into Ukraine and the world would rollover. Instead, he met with a wall of strength he never anticipated or imagined. He met the Ukrainian people,” Biden said.
Biden also revealed that the US department of justice intends to target Russian oligarchs by finding and seizing their yachts, luxury apartments, and private jets. “The United States Department of Justice is assembling a dedicated task force to go after the crimes of the Russian oligarchs,” Biden told lawmakers amid applause. “We are coming for your ill-begotten gains.”
“And tonight I am announcing that we will join our allies in closing off American air space to all Russian flights — further isolating Russia and adding an additional squeeze on their economy.”
He asserted that the US and its allies will defend “every inch of NATO territory with full force of our collective power.” “Ukrainians are fighting back with pure courage. Putin may make gains on the battlefield but he will have to continue to pay a high price over the long run.”
