"God bless America," Ukrainian soldier tells Biden 0:58
(CNN) --
President Joe Biden marked the year since Russia's invasion of Ukraine on Tuesday, celebrating the strength and resilience of President Volodymyr Zelensky and his people.
In a second major speech from Warsaw, Poland, in less than a year, Biden said his trip to the Ukrainian capital a day early shows that the world's democracies are getting stronger in the face of autocracy.
“A year ago, the world was preparing for the fall of Kyiv.
Well, I just got back from a visit to Kyiv and can report that it's still going strong.
She stands proud, she stands tall, and most importantly, she stands free,” Biden said.
Biden's remarks come hours after Putin delivered a major speech to the Federal Assembly, in which he falsely claimed that Ukraine and its allies in the West started the war and offered no sign of backing down on their ambitions.
Biden ready for last symbolic clash with Putin after surprise trip to Ukraine
According to senior US and European officials, Putin's goals have not changed since he launched his invasion a year ago.
Despite humiliating setbacks to his army and an apparent power struggle between the mercenary Wagner Group and the Russian Defense Ministry, Russia has made recent gains in the east.
Putin's troops appear poised to take the town of Bakhmut, the first significant Russian military victory in months.
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By visiting the region this week, Biden hoped to once again deliver a rallying cry for Ukraine, showing Putin and Russia that Western resolve is not waning.
Referring to the start of the war, Biden said the challenges of the invasion extended beyond Ukraine's borders.
“When Russia invaded, it didn't just test Ukraine.
The entire world faced a test for eternity,” she said.
“Europe was being tested.
America was being tested.
NATO was put to the test."
Biden appeared to speak almost directly to Putin in his speech, saying: “Autocrats only understand one word: No. No, no.
No, you will not take my country.
No, you will not take away my freedom.
No, you will not take my future."
“Ukraine will never be a victory for Russia.
Never," Biden said to applause.
Joe Biden delivered a speech on the war in Ukraine from Warsaw, Poland.
“Our support for Ukraine remains unwavering”
In meetings with Polish President Andrzej Duda and other Eastern European allies, Biden reiterated his commitment to the security of those countries.
Biden thanked Duda for his country's commitment to supporting the people of Ukraine, calling the relationship between the two nations "crucial, crucial, crucial."
Biden said he believes Ukraine is in a "better position than ever" and called on NATO countries to "keep your head and focus."
“I made it clear that the commitment of the United States is real and that a year later I would say that NATO is stronger than ever,” Biden said.
"I can proudly say that our support for Ukraine remains unwavering."
Biden announced Monday that he would join European nations in announcing new sanctions against Moscow and presenting another security assistance package on top of the tens of billions already pledged this year.
The White House said ahead of his trip that Biden would speak by phone later in the week with other Western leaders, including Britain's Prime Minister Rishi Sunak and France's President Emmanuel Macron.
"Freedom does not have a price.
It is worth fighting for, for as long as it takes.
And that is how long we will be with you, Mr. President, as long as it takes," Biden told Zelensky in kyiv on Monday.
the next fight
However, neither Biden nor any other Western leader has been able to say exactly how long that will be, so this week is as much about next year as it is about the past 12 months.
The war has left an indelible mark on almost every aspect of Biden's presidency, and he has made his mark on the war, from billions of dollars in arms shipments to the newly strengthened Western alliance.
The war has convulsed the global economy and created political problems at home, while giving Biden an opportunity to prove his oft-repeated “America is back” line.
White House officials have pondered this week's anniversary for weeks, constantly pointing out that a year ago, when Russian troops were massing on the Ukrainian border, there were many people — including within the Biden administration — who predicted that Kyiv it would fall in a matter of days.
The surprising resistance of the Ukrainian people, together with the unexpected ineptitude of the Russian forces, have prevented a full takeover of power.
Instead, the war has devolved into what NATO chief Jens Stoltenberg described last week as a “crushing war of attrition” with no end in sight.
"I think it is prudent to be prepared for a long war," German Chancellor Olaf Scholz, who will visit Biden at the White House early next month, told CNN's Christiane Amanpour on Friday.
The United States and other Western nations have been sending batches of weapons, tanks and ammunition to Ukraine, constantly increasing what they are willing to provide in the hope of thus changing the trajectory of the war.
It's not enough for Zelensky, who wants heavier weapons and fighter jets.
US officials said they hope the massive influx of weapons into Ukraine, including new vehicles, longer-range missiles and Patriot air defense systems, will help Ukraine prevail on the battlefield and put the country in a stronger position to negotiate an end to the war.
But it remains unclear what parameters Zelensky would be willing to accept in any peace negotiations, and the US has adamantly refused to define what a deal would look like beyond saying Zelensky will call the shots.
clash with Putin
The last time Biden spoke from the courtyard of the Royal Castle, the content of his 27-minute speech was overshadowed by an impromptu message about Putin towards the end.
"For God's sake," he proclaimed, "this man cannot remain in power."
Nearly a year later, Biden returned to the Royal Castle to mark the anniversary of a war that has pitted him increasingly directly against the Russian leader, in a Cold War dynamic exacerbated by Biden's secret visit to Kyiv a day earlier.
Standing next to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, Biden used his presence in the Ukrainian capital to mock Putin for failing in his ambitions to invade and control the country.
“Putin's war of conquest is failing,” Biden said, adding: “He thought he could outlast us.
I don't think I think that anymore."
Volodymyr Zelensky and Joe Biden.
Unlike Biden's last appearance in Warsaw, which came as Putin's forces seemed in retreat and observers expected the Russian economy to collapse under the weight of Western sanctions, the war now appears poised to extend at least one more year.
There are currently no serious efforts to negotiate an end to the fighting.
If ever there was a time when Biden and his aides hoped to avoid personalizing the Ukraine conflict, it was well before this week's anniversary.
Biden has called Putin a "war criminal" and a "pure thug," he has accused Russia of genocide and, in his castle speech, made an implicit call for regime change.
Speaking to reporters ahead of Biden's speech, US national security adviser Jake Sullivan said that was not intended as a direct rebuttal to Putin.
“We didn't prepare the speech as a kind of head-to-head,” Sullivan said.
"This is not a rhetorical contest with someone."
Concern about the future of the war
Meanwhile, fresh concerns arose last week about available supplies of ammunition and weapons, a clear indication that the West cannot provide unlimited support forever, neither logistically nor politically, as evidenced by polls showing support for the war effort it is decreasing.
In the United States, some conservative Republicans have refused to give Ukraine any more aid, though party leaders appear unwavering in their support.
As Biden prepares to announce his intentions to run for re-election, anxiety is mounting in Europe that a change in the White House could herald a change in policy towards Ukraine.
“I have to say that there is a concern, both in Poland and in Ukraine, about the staying power of the United States beyond this administration.
This war would look completely different without the support of the United States,” said Michal Baranowski, Warsaw-based managing director of the German Marshall Fund.
"The fact is that we are fighting with time, right?"
Baranowski said.
“I mean, it really is whether time is on Russia's side, which is losing but has plenty of resources to exhaust us in the West.
That's what gives me pause.
I hope we have the staying power."
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