The White House, hours before President Joe Biden’s State of the Union address, released excerpts from his address. The commander-in-chief will slam his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin for a “premeditated and unprovoked” war on Ukraine. 

Biden will deliver his first State of the Union address on Tuesday. His annual speech comes as Russian forces are invading key cities in Ukraine. The president, who is weighed down by public disapproval of his handling of the economy and the pandemic, last week announced his candidate for an opening on the Supreme Court.

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“Throughout our history we’ve learned this lesson – when dictators do not pay a price for their aggression, they cause more chaos. They keep moving. And, the costs and threats to America and the world keep rising,” an excerpt from Biden’s speech reads. 

“That’s why the NATO Alliance was created to secure peace and stability in Europe after World War 2. The United States is a member along with 29 other nations.”

Joe Biden will slam Putin for rejecting ‘efforts at diplomacy’. 

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“He rejected efforts at diplomacy. He thought the West and NATO wouldn’t respond,” Biden is expected to say. “And, he thought he could divide us here at home. Putin was wrong. We were ready.”

The speech is set for 9 p.m. EST and will be broadcast by the major networks and cable news TV channels. The White House plans to stream it at WH.gov/live, as well as on its YouTube, Facebook and Twitter pages. Live coverage will also be provided by C-SPAN, C-SPAN Radio and C-SPAN.org. NPR is streaming the speech on its website, npr.org, and on its app, in addition to offering live coverage to its member radio stations.

The State of the Union 2022 will see the President talk about the economy, inflation and the COVID-19 situation in the country.