Hours after Vladimir Putin’s state of the nation speech in Moscow on 21 February, the US president Joe Biden delivered his own remarks in Warsaw, Poland. Twenty-four hours earlier, he had secretly travelled to Kyiv to meet Volodymyr Zelensky, where the two leaders strolled through the city centre as the air-raid sirens wailed. The next day, standing in front of the Royal Castle in the Polish capital, which was lit up in the blue and gold colours of the Ukrainian flag, Biden reflected on how Zelensky, and his nation, had defied the world’s expectations over the past year.
“One year ago the world was bracing for the fall of Kyiv,” Biden said. “Well, I have just come from a visit to Kyiv, and I can report: Kyiv stands strong!” The crowd cheered. “Kyiv stands proud,” he continued. “It stands tall. And most important, it stands free.” There was more applause.
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