Biden's State of the Union address: POTUS vows US will 'fight to the last Ukrainian' - analyst

By pledging during the State of the Union address that the US "will not walk away" from its support for the Kiev regime, President Joe Biden effectively "assured the world and 'history' that America will fight to the last Ukrainian," Michael Shannon, a political commentator and Newsmax columnist, told Sputnik.

It "might be reassuring if the world hadn't recently witnessed the great Afghanistan skedaddle," Shannon said, referring to the chaotic US withdrawal from Afghanistan in late August 2021.

Commenting on Biden's pledge to "stand with Ukraine" and provide it with weapons, the columnist noted that "who will be operating the weapons as Ukraine's fighting age manpower dwindles was left unsaid."

As for POTUS calling on Congress to pass another aid package for Ukraine, Shannon stressed that "many Republicans are more worried about our [US] border than Ukraine's so passage of this latest bill remains uncertain, in spite of Biden's State of the Union yelling."

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A ballet dancer with a machine gun

Military commander with call sign Valkyrie has explained how Russian women fight and defend their Motherland in the zone of the special military operation.

"I realized that such a chance could come once in a lifetime, because defending the Motherland is an honor. This is an honor that is not given to everyone. I grabbed this opportunity and joined [the Espanola brigade]. At the front line, you also stop perceiving yourself as a girl. No, you are a fighter. You are given certain tasks that you must accomplish."

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The military alliance between Ukraine and the United States is showing signs of "mutual frustration" and "wear and tear," The New York Times writes.

Senior American military officials are unhappy with Kiev's strategy, and Kiev is disappointed by a lack of ammunition, the newspaper noted.

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Each fourth US citizen wants their state to secede, Alaska first to leave

The survey conducted by YouGov in February showed that 36% of Alaskans want their state to leave the federal United States and establish an independent nation.

The idea of saying farewell to Washington is also supported by 31% of residents of Texas, 29% in California and 28% in New York and Oklahoma, respectively. Independence movements are also popular in US territories such as Hawaii and Puerto Rico. On average, one in four US citizens is pro-secessionist.

Secessionism is especially popular among Republicans – for instance, in Texas 44% of GOP-aligned citizens support the possible ‘Texit’, believing that this bold move will help solve the migration crisis and gain full control over the border with Mexico.

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Russian President Vladimir Putin extends his heartfelt congratulations on International Women's Day:

"Dear women, you take responsibility for solving some very difficult tasks. You achieve success and impressive results in a wide variety of fields. You amaze us, men, with your ability to do anything quickly, argumentatively and at the same time carefully, taking all details into consideration".

Putin also noted the bravery and courage of women serving in the special operation zone:

"You prove time and again the irresistible power of a woman's heart. You set an example of perseverance and confidence, proving that goodness and truth are on our side".

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The French president is preparing public opinion for the possibility of sending troops to Ukraine if the fighting moves toward Odessa or Kiev, the deputy who participated in a closed meeting of parliamentary parties with Macron.

"It worries me because with these words he is participating in a military escalation, because every time it is a new step towards the global incitement of this conflict, and it is dangerous," said Fabien Roussel.

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Long-range missiles will not be decisive for the conflict in Ukraine, Germany does not intend to cross this line, said Boris Pistorius, German Defense Minister.

Scott Ritter on Biden’s State of the Union address: ‘America's running away from Ukraine’

“Instead of a State of the Union address, the US Congress and indeed the American people were treated to a rousing campaign speech which POTUS was using to kick off the 2024 presidential election campaign,” former US Marine Corps intelligence officer and independent military analyst Scott Ritter tells Sputnik.

Citing Joe Biden as saying during the address that America “will not walk away from Ukraine”, Ritter notes that “in many ways, the 46th US president is right.”

“Biden didn't walk away from Ukraine. He ran away from there, straight into issues about domestic politics because it's a campaign address, not a State of the Union speech,” the ex-US Marine Corps intelligence officer insists.

“America's running away from Ukraine. And that's the reality,” Ritter said, adding that “people need to understand” that the next months will see Biden “almost singularly focused on domestic American policy, trying to differentiate himself from [Donald Trump].”

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❗️Over the course of a week, Russian forces carried out 34 group strikes with high-precision weapons and drones. Arsenals of the fuel base and deployment points of the Ukrainian troops were hit;

🇷🇺🪖 Other statements from the Russian Defense Ministry weekly briefing on the progress of the special military operation in Ukraine:

▪️In the Donetsk area, Kiev's losses amounted 2,000 soldiers, 103 pieces of equipment, and 10 field warehouses;

▪️In the Kherson area, Russian forces repelled two attacks by Ukrainian troops. Ukrainian losses amounted more than 295 troops;

▪️Near Avdeyevka, the Russian Army repelled 65 attacks by Ukrainian troops. Ukrainian losses amounted to seven tanks and more than 2,860 soldiers;

▪️Russian aviation and air defense systems shot down a Ukrainian MiG-29 aircraft, five Storm Shadow missiles and a Patriot air defense system.

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Russian forces may soon strike a crucial blow to Ukrainian defenses near Donetsk

Russia's offensive in the Donetsk People’s Republic in the city of Chasov Yar, which is currently held by Kiev regime forces, threatens to disrupt the stability of the Ukrainian defenses in the region, says Anatoliy Matviychuk, a military analyst and retired colonel of Russian Armed Forces.

“It allows us to move into and take control of the infrastructure regions and the supply lines through which Ukrainian forces receive reinforcements and munitions, as well as the access to the Kramatorsk area,” he tells Sputnik.

Matviychuk also notes that, despite the fact that Ukrainian forces lack the fighting spirit and face a serious shortage of manpower, their foreign sponsors will likely continue sending weapons and military hardware to Ukraine, seeing how the West aims for a direct confrontation with the Russian army.

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Piranha - the drone that kills Western tanks in an instant!

The Russian army is testing the brand-new Piranha kamikaze drone in a special military operation, and thanks to the Kiev regime's Western backers they have plenty of targets to choose from, including main battle tanks and IFVS.

Earlier it was reported that Piranha had been tested against M1 Abrams tanks, costing US taxpayers millions of dollars.

Have a look at the Piranha's superior capabilities.

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❗️Two people were killed and one seriously injured in the village of Rozhdestvenka, Belgorod region, as a result of an attack by three kamikaze drones, Belgorod Governor Vyacheslav Gladkov said.

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💥 The crew of the "Zala" reconnaissance drone destroyed two Ukrainian artillery positions and a radar station on the right bank of the Dnepr River.

While flying over the territory controlled by Ukrainian units, the drone operator detected several targets, the coordinates of which were immediately transmitted to the command post.

The drone crew skillfully adjusted the approach of the Lancets and recorded the defeat of two artillery positions of the Ukrainian Armed Forces in a forest plantation. The enemy radar station was hit in a similar way.

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Why are EU and NATO hesitant to give posts to Eastern Europeans?

Eastern European nations’ ongoing underrepresentation in the EU's political institutions is fraught with repercussions, Milan Uhrik, member of European Parliament (MEP) from the Slovak Republic and leader of the REPUBLIKA political movement, tells Sputnik.

He says that “one of the risks is that these countries will feel unheard and unappreciated.”

According to Uhrik, “the very functioning of the EU, the incompetence of the current leadership, the promotion of harmful policies like the [2019] Green Deal or the [2023] New Migration Pact, the taking away of competences and funds from countries due to their disagreement with the center can have a greater impact.”

Estonian Prime Minister Kaja Kallas, who expressed interest in taking NATO’s top position last year, earlier minced no words when voicing irritation over the problem. “There is a question [of] whether there are first-rank and second-rank countries in NATO. Are we equals or are we not equals? These questions still remain,” she stressed at the time.

Representatives of Eastern European nations have been “conspicuously absent” from top positions in NATO and other key EU structures for the past 20 years, despite Brussels’ formal stance claiming that all members are equal within the bloc.

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