Biden defends his first-year record, blames Republicans for refusal to work with him

US President Joe Biden has defended his course of action in his first year in office, saying no other president “has done as much” as he did in one year.

In his first-year press conference at the White House on Wednesday, the Democratic president asked, “Can you think of any other president that's done as much in one year?"

“I don't think there's been much on any incoming president's plate that's been a bigger menu than the plate I had given to me," he said. "The fact of the matter is, we got a lot done."

"Our work's not done," Biden said about the economic and health recovery from the coronavirus pandemic.

“I didn’t overpromise,” he said, blaming Republicans in Congress for their refusal to work with him. “I’m going to stay on this track.”

He also dismissed his weak job approval ratings, saying, "I don't believe the polls."

Morning Consult poll released a survey on Wednesday showing 56% of voters disapproved of how Biden is handling the presidency.

That figure is 10 points lower than the overall disapproval rating then-President Barack Obama had in January 2010.

And it is 6 points worse than the January 2018 voter approval ratings of then-President Donald Trump.

Biden once again defended his decision over the chaotic and rushed final withdrawal from the 20-year long Afghanistan war, saying, "I make no apologies."

"There was no way to get out of Afghanistan after 20 years easily," he said.

Biden threatens Russia with 'disaster'

The US president also threatened Russia, saying “a disaster” awaits Moscow if President Vladimir Putin orders an invasion of Ukraine.

“It is going to be a disaster for Russia if they further invade Ukraine. Our allies and partners are ready to impose a severe cost on Russia and the Russian economy,” Biden said during his one hour and 52 minutes conference.

“And I think he’ll regret having done it,” he said of a possible invasion.

US intelligence agencies accused Russia of preparing to invade Ukraine within the next 30 days.

Biden meets with Senate hawks leading US smear campaign against Russia

Joe Biden has virtually met with a group of eight Senate hawks to discuss the latest developments in Ukraine amid US claims that Russia is preparing to invade the neighboring country.

Russia rejects the allegations and says deployments near the Ukrainian border are defensive in nature.

A report said last week that the CIA is overseeing an undercover training program in the US for Ukrainian forces to “enhance” their “ability to push back against the Russians.”

The US spy agency has been training an insurgency,” a former CIA official told Yahoo News.

“We’ve been training these guys now for eight years. They’re really good fighters. That’s where the agency’s program could have a serious impact,” the official added.

The US was already signaling to the Russians that the US would arm Ukrainian militias to counter a Russian invasion.

The covert program was established by the Obama administration, and further augmented under the administrations of Trump and, now, Biden, the report said.

The US over three presidents has also debated whether to provide military assistance to Ukraine in the face of a possible Russian invasion. It has been providing Ukraine with lethal weapons since 2014.

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