WASHINGTON Feb. 8 US President Joe Biden said in an annual appeal to Congress that Washington has united the NATO countries and built a coalition to counter the special military operation of the Russian Federation in Ukraine.
«We led (behind ourselves). We united NATO and created a global coalition. We opposed the aggression of (Russian President Vladimir) Putin. We supported the Ukrainian people,» the head of state said on Tuesday evening.
Earlier, Putin said that the West was trying to create an anti-Russian enclave in Ukraine for the collapse of Russia, and a special operation was launched to prevent this. As Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov noted, the United States and NATO are directly involved in the conflict in Ukraine, «including not only the supply of weapons, but also the training of personnel … in the UK, Germany, Italy and other countries.»
Russia has been conducting a military special operation in Ukraine since February 24. Putin called its task «the protection of people who have been subjected to bullying and genocide by the Kyiv regime for eight years.» According to the president, the ultimate goal of the operation is the liberation of Donbass and the creation of conditions that guarantee Russia's security.