U.S. President Joe Biden delivers his speech outside the Royal Castle in Warsaw./ Wojtek Radwanski/AFP
U.S. President Joe Biden said Ukraine "stands strong" one year after the start of the conflict and that Moscow would never defeat its neighbor, after the Kremlin suspended a landmark nuclear arms control treaty over the West's support for Kyiv.
Hours before Biden spoke to a crowd at the Royal Castle in Warsaw, Russian President Vladimir Putin said Moscow would achieve its objectives and accused the West of plotting to destroy Russia.
"One year ago, the world was bracing for the fall of Kyiv," Biden said. "I can report: Kyiv stands strong, Kyiv stands proud, it stands tall and, most important, it stands free.
"A dictator bent on rebuilding an empire will never be able to ease the people's love of liberty, brutality will never grind down the will of the free. Ukraine will never be a victory for Russia - never.
READ MORE
Putin blames West for war, China peace talks with Kyiv
UN appeals for $1bn to help 5m+ in Türkiye
Hopes to find quake survivors fading
Biden refuted claims the West's main objective is total control of global politics and said the millions of Russians who yearn for peace are not the enemy.
"He thought autocrats like himself were tough and leaders of democracy were soft and then he met the iron will of America and nations everywhere that refused to accept a world governed by fear," Biden said.
Biden praised Poland for helping Ukraine since the start of the conflict a year ago./ Aleksandra Szmigiel/Reuters
As well as announcing further sanctions against Russia later this week, Biden revealed that the U.S. would host a NATO summit next year as the defense alliance turns 75 years old.
"Let there be no doubt, the commitment of the United States to our NATO alliance and Article 5 is rock solid," he added. "Every member of NATO knows it. And Russia knows it as well: an attack against one is an attack against all."
With Friday marking one year since the conflict began, Biden hit back at Putin who had earlier suggested the West had started the conflict and fanned the flames of war.
"This war is never a necessity. It's a tragedy," Biden said. "President Putin chose this war. Every day the war continues is his choice. He could end the war with a word. It's simple. Russia stops invading Ukraine, it would end the war.
"If Ukraine stopped defending itself against Russia, it would be the end of Ukraine. That's why together, we're making sure Ukraine can defend itself."
The official visit to Poland is Biden's second in the past 12 months. On Wednesday, he will meet in Warsaw with the leaders of nine countries on NATO's eastern flank.