President Biden's State of the Union address

President Biden recognized the Ukrainian ambassador to the US, Oksana Markarova, who is sitting in first lady Jill Biden’s box watching the President’s State of the Union address. 

Markarova placed her hand over her heart and held a Ukrainian flag. The first lady leaned over to embrace Markarova as the chamber rose to its feet and applauded. 

“She’s bright, she’s strong, she’s resolved,” Biden said. “Yes. We the United States of America stand with the Ukrainian people.”

Watch the moment:

President Biden reiterated Tuesday that the US would not deploy troops to Ukraine following Russia’s invasion, telling members of Congress gathered for his State of the Union, “Let me be clear — our forces are not engaged and will not engage in the conflict with Russian forces in Ukraine.”

Instead, the President said, American troops were deployed to Europe not to fight in Ukraine, “but to defend our NATO allies in the event that Putin decides to keep moving west.”

Previously, Biden has said the US would hold fast to NATO’s Article 5 principle, which says that an attack on one NATO country is an attack on all member counties—in Tuesday’s remarks, he pledged, “As I’ve made crystal clear, the United States and our Allies will defend every inch of territory of NATO countries with the full force of our collective power.”

For Ukraine, the President touted “more than $1 billion in direct assistance to Ukraine,” including military, economic, and humanitarian aide from the US and allies.

President Biden aimed to calm concerned Americans who are worried about the war going on Ukraine.

"When the history of this era is written, Putin's war on Ukraine will have left Russia weaker and the rest of the world stronger," the President said.

Amid Russia's invasion into Ukraine, President Biden praised the United States' ability to band together with other "freedom-loving nations" across the world.

"We countered Russia's lies with the truth, and now, now that he's acted, the free world is holding him accountable," Biden said.

"Putin is now isolated from the world more than he has ever been," the President said, a remark that was met with applause inside the House chamber.

President Biden announced a ban on Russian aircraft from US airspace during his State of the Union address.

US officials believe there will still be ways for Americans to get out of Russia if Russian flights cannot come to the US, citing train options out of the country as one possibility.

The US joins Canada and the European Union in closing off its airspace to Russian aircraft. Before European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen announced the entire EU would close off its airspace to Russian planes, several European countries — including Germany, France and Italy — had already done so.

Watch the moment:

President Biden said that the US intends to go after Russian oligarchs who support Vladimir Putin. 

Biden continued: "We're joining with European allies to find and seize their yachts, their luxury apartments, their private jets. We're coming for your ill-begotten gains."

Watch the moment:

While last year marked the first time two women (Vice President Kamala Harris and House Speaker Nancy Pelosi) sat behind a president on the dais, this year's speech marks the first time it'll happen for an official State of the Union address.

George W. Bush’s 2007 address, shortly after Pelosi became the first female speaker of the House, marked the first time there was one woman behind a President. 

President Biden opened his State of the Union address by directly calling out Russian President Vladimir Putin.

Watch the moment:

President Biden began is State of the Union address by the pandemic, saying "last year, Covid-19 kept us apart. This year, we're finally together again."