Biden closes U.S. airspace to Russian flights

PanARMENIAN.Net - In his first State of the Union address, United States President Joe Biden announced closing U․S․ airspace to all Russian flights, saying that Moscow will be weaker by the end of its war against Ukraine, Al Jazeera reports.

Addressing a joint session of Congress late on Tuesday, March 1, Biden said the U.S. is imposing “powerful sanctions” on Russia that are cutting off its banks from the international financial system and “choking” its access to technological imports.

The U.S. president also hit out repeatedly at Russia’s Vladimir Putin, saying that he alone is to blame for the war.

“Tonight, I’m announcing that we will join our allies in closing off American airspace to all Russian flights, further isolating Russia and adding an additional squeeze on their economy,” Biden said. “He has no idea what’s coming.”

“While he [Putin] may make gains on the battlefield, he will pay a continuing high price over the long run,” Biden said.

The US president also expressed support for the Ukrainian people and paid a nod to Kyiv’s ambassador to Washington, Oksana Markarova, who was in attendance at the invitation of First Lady Jill Biden.

Russia launched an all-out attack on Ukraine last week, drawing condemnation and sanctions from major world powers. The invasion came after a months-long standoff that saw Moscow amass as many as 200,000 troops near the Ukrainian border.

In less than a week, the violence has prompted 660,000 Ukrainians to flee neighboring countries as Russia continues to bombard cities across Ukraine.