In Warsaw, Joe Biden appeared as a defender of the free world in a speech with Cold War overtones

After the picture, the sound. After the physical bravado, words to recall the system. A day after a surprise trip to Kiev, Joe Biden gave a solemn speech on Tuesday, February 21, in the gardens of the royal palace in Warsaw, commemorating the first anniversary of the start of the war in Ukraine. A warm speech toward host country Poland, sympathy for the tortured but defiant Ukrainian people, and resolute opposition to Russian invasion. Cold and windy, against a backdrop of Ukrainian colors, Joe Biden rehashes Washington’s now-familiar argument about Vladimir Putin’s strategic errors and allies’ resolve. But those familiar words, uttered on that particular evening in front of thousands of enthusiastic Poles, swelled with extra soul.

“After a year of this war, Putin no longer doubts the strength of our alliance. Joe Biden said. But he still doubts our faith. He doubts our endurance. He doubts our continued support for Ukraine. He doubts NATO’s ability to remain united. But there should be no doubt. Our support for Ukraine will not waver, NATO will not be divided, and we will not tire. » Speaking in the morning, the US President clearly took aim at Vladimir Putin. “A dictator bent on rebuilding an empire can never suppress a people’s love of freedom. Brutality never crushes the will to be free. And Ukraine… Ukraine will never be a victory for Russia. never”, Joe Biden promised.

“It’s not a competition to talk to anybody.”, National Security Adviser Jack Sullivan warned against Vladimir Putin’s speech. The mirror effect is no less striking. The US president picked up the classic, pre-Trumpian vein of US foreign policy speeches by emphasizing the word freedom. “We heard Ronald Reagan’s rhetoric, very black and white, with Cold War overtones,” Michael Baranowski, head of the Polish office of the German Marshall Fund, explains.

Winning audience

By emphasizing the struggle against authoritarian regimes, the US president knew he was in front of a winning audience. “Officers understand only one word. No no no. No, you will not take my country”, he said. Joe Biden paid tribute to Belarusian opposition to the rule of Volodymyr Zelenskiy, Moldovan President Mia Sandu and Alexander Lukashenko. “Biden has established his credibility in this Ukraine war. Michal Baranowski continues. A trip to Kiev with Zelenskyi hammered home that the conflict has more than a regional stake, indicating that both Ukraine and the United States will lose. There is no going back. Joe Biden is up to his neck invested in this war. »

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