Tensions rise before the anniversary of the Russian Invasion 

By Dana Malcolm 

Staff Writer 

#Ukraine, February 24, 2023 – NATO allies met in Poland on Tuesday, February 21st to discuss increased support to Ukraine in its defence against Russia only days before the one-year anniversary of the invasion.

The meeting comes on the heels of President Joe Biden’s unannounced visit to the battle-torn country.  The purpose of the visit, Biden said, was to ‘reaffirm [the US’s] unwavering and unflagging commitment to Ukraine’s democracy, sovereignty, and territorial integrity’.

In the NATO meeting following that visit Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg said:

“This is a symbol of our solidarity NATO and the European Union stand together with Ukraine, a year ago President Putin launched his illegal war against a peaceful neighbour, the facts are clear for all to see. Nobody is attacking Russia.”

The statement comes as Russia temporarily pulls out of the only nuclear arms treaty it has with the United States and promises to continue its war in Ukraine.  In an address of his own to his country’s federal legislature on Tuesday, Putin defended the war which he and Russian State Media still refer to as a ‘special military operation’, and said most Russians support it as well.

“I am proud and believe that we are all proud that our multinational people, the vast majority of our citizens, took a principled stance regarding the special military operation, grasped the meaning of what we are doing and voiced their support of our actions to protect Donbas,” he said according to Russian Mediahouse TASS.

President Biden walked the streets of Kyiv witnessing the effects of the war on the country.

He experienced the terror of air raid sirens first hand according to local media as the warnings went off during a visit to see Saint Michael’s Cathedral.

The US president has already announced a new tranche of military aid for Ukraine which will cost the US over half a billion dollars.