China News Service, February 21, comprehensive report, on the 21st local time, US President Biden came to Poland and will deliver an important speech; on the same day, the Russian President will also conduct "one of the most important events of the year"—— Deliver the State of the Union address.
On the first anniversary of the escalation of the Ukraine crisis, what will Biden and Putin say in their important speeches?
Before the speech, Biden also made a surprise visit to Ukraine. What kind of signal was released in advance?
"Avoid misjudgment by the two nuclear powers"
Although to the outside world, US President Biden's lightning visit to Ukraine on the 20th was unexpected, but US National Security Advisor Jack Sullivan said that Biden's visit not only went through several months of careful planning, but also " For several hours", the United States also "informed" the Russian side in order to avoid conflict.
Sullivan said at the press conference that in order to avoid conflicts, the United States had notified Russia that Biden was about to visit Kiev a few hours before Biden's departure.
The Associated Press stated that this was "to avoid a miscalculation that could lead to a direct conflict between the two nuclear powers."
On February 20, 2023 local time, US President Biden and Ukrainian President Zelensky met and talked in front of a church in Kiev, the capital of Ukraine.
Medvedev, vice chairman of the Russian Federation Security Council, also said that Biden's visit was carried out "after obtaining security guarantees in advance", but did not mention who provided the guarantee to Biden.
Moreover, Biden's visit to Kiev this time was not "on a whim."
According to Sullivan, the visit was "several months of careful planning," involving the National Security Council, the White House Military Office, and personnel from the military, Secret Service, and others. The intelligence community conducted a threat assessment of the visit.
According to people familiar with the matter, in months of careful planning, the team proposed to Biden a series of location options for visiting Ukraine, but Biden believed that going to Kiev made the most sense. "The president never seriously considered any other location — — if he’s going to Ukraine, he’s going to Kiev.”
Kate Bedingfield, director of the White House Communications Office, said, "This is a risk Biden wants to take."
What is the lightning visit? Domestic and international considerations?
Biden made a lightning visit to Ukraine on the 20th, staying in Kiev, the Ukrainian capital, for just over five hours. He met with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and promised additional aid worth $500 million and a series of new sanctions against Russia.
On February 20, 2023 local time, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky watched as U.S. President Joe Biden signed the guest book at the Mariinsky Palace.
Regarding Biden's trip, Zelensky praised Biden's surprise visit as an "extremely important signal of support" and "the most important visit in the history of US-Uzbekistan relations."
He also told reporters that U.S. military support for Ukraine showed that Russia had no chance of winning.
On the Russian side, Medvedev commented, "It is important to point out that the West has actually been providing weapons and funds to Ukraine", most of which "are for the purpose of making money for the military-industrial complex of NATO countries, and illegally supplying Ukraine with Terrorists provide weapons".
The Russian Satellite News Agency quoted Zhuravlev, a senior researcher at the Institute of World Economy and International Relations of the Russian Academy of Sciences, as saying that the US president wanted to use the trip to Kiev to increase domestic support and show that he knew the relevant situation well.
He believes that the Biden administration hopes to use "cheap numbers that can be used to show" to show that the continuous allocation of funds and the supply of weapons to Kiev have brought certain results.
The two major speeches are about to "confront" Biden and Putin?
According to Reuters, after leaving Ukraine, Biden took a train to Poland on the evening of the 20th and has now arrived in Poland.
He is expected to deliver a speech in Warsaw, the Polish capital, and meet with Polish President Duda and leaders of other Eastern European NATO members.
The "New York Times" stated that Biden's trip to Europe was a preview of his "increasingly positive contest" with Russian President Putin.
As the first anniversary of the escalation of the Ukraine crisis is approaching, Biden will go to Poland to give a speech on the 21st, and Russian President Vladimir Putin will also deliver a State of the Union address on the 21st.
According to the Associated Press, Biden will then say that the United States will stand with Ukraine "when needed."
Data map: Putin.
RIA Novosti reported that Putin will deliver a state of the union address to the Federal Assembly at the Moscow Trade House Exhibition Center, and is expected to evaluate Russia's special military operations, the international situation, and pay attention to Russia's social and economic issues.
Russian President’s Press Secretary Peskov said that the preparations for this State of the Nation address started very early, and “the president and many departments of the government department participated in it.”
During the preparation process, Putin repeatedly contacted the deputy prime minister, ministers and heads of relevant departments to discuss specific issues.
Peskov said that the State of the Union address is one of the most important events of the year for the head of state.
This year's speech will start at 12 o'clock Moscow time, and Russian TV media has reserved an hour for broadcasting, but he said that "this is a form" and Putin's speech may last longer.