Biden: Putin's objective remains unchanged, he must be stopped
Russian dictator Vladimir Putin, who unleashed a full-scale war in Europe, has not changed his objective in Ukraine, so he must be stopped because this poses a threat to the security of all of Europe and raises the risk of the United States being pulled into the war.
U.S. President Joe Biden said this in a statement on Russia's latest aerial assault on Ukraine, Ukrinform reports.
"Overnight, Russia launched its largest aerial assault on Ukraine since this war began. This massive bombardment used drones and missiles, including missiles with hypersonic capability, to strike cities and civilian infrastructure all across Ukraine," he said.
Biden noted that strikes had reportedly hit a maternity hospital, a shopping mall, and residential areas - killing innocent people and injuring dozens more.
"It is a stark reminder to the world that, after nearly two years of this devastating war, Putin's objective remains unchanged. He seeks to obliterate Ukraine and subjugate its people. He must be stopped," he said.
Biden added that the stakes of this fight extend far beyond Ukraine and they affect the entirety of the NATO Alliance, the security of Europe, and the future of the Transatlantic relationship.
"Putin has not just attempted to destroy Ukraine; he has threatened some of our NATO Allies as well. When dictators and autocrats are allowed to run roughshod in Europe, the risk rises that the United States gets pulled in directly," he said.
He noted that the whole world is feeling the consequences of Putin's war. That is why the United States has rallied a coalition of more than 50 countries to support the defense of Ukraine.
"We cannot let our allies and partners down. We cannot let Ukraine down. History will judge harshly those who fail to answer freedom's call," Biden said.
In this context, he also recalled that the United States, together with its allies and partners, had delivered the air defense systems to Ukraine over the past year to successfully intercept and destroy many of the missiles and drones.
"But unless Congress takes urgent action in the new year, we will not be able to continue sending the weapons and vital air defense systems Ukraine needs to protect its people. Congress must step up and act without any further delay," Biden said.
In the early morning hours of Friday, December 29, Russian troops launched a massive aerial assault on cities across Ukraine, using 158 attack drones and various types of missiles.
Ukrainian air defenses destroyed 88 Kh-101/Kh-555/Kh-55 missiles and 27 Shahed 136/131 drones launched by the Russians.