Biden in speech: Putin was wrong, we were ready

US President Joe Biden will deliver his first State of the Union address on Tuesday evening (local time). In this ‘throne speech’ for members of Congress, the head of state sets out the main plans. According to pre-circulated excerpts of the speech, Biden will say of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, among other things: “Putin was wrong. We were ready.”

The State of the Union starts on Wednesday at 03:00 AM Dutch time. Biden is expected to say that “US diplomacy matters” and that Russian President Vladimir Putin made a serious miscalculation in invading Ukraine. The president will also pledge to fight inflation and reduce the budget deficit, which has grown significantly in the past two years, partly due to additional spending due to the corona pandemic.

Echoing his previous comments about the invasion, Biden will describe the war in Ukraine as “premeditated and unprovoked”. Putin “rejected attempts at diplomacy,” he will say. And, again on Putin: “He thought the West and NATO wouldn’t respond. And he thought he could divide us here at home. Putin was wrong. We were ready.”

Biden’s plan to fight inflation is expected to say it will “cut your costs, not your wages.” He wants to achieve this cost reduction, among other things, by producing more domestically: “I call it building a better America. My plan to fight inflation will lower your costs and reduce the deficit.”