Rallying NATO allies in Poland, Biden vows unwavering support for Ukraine

US President Joe Biden has arrived in Poland after an unannounced visit to Ukraine, and rallied NATO allies, stressing "unwavering" support for the ex-Soviet republic in its current war with Russia.

Just three days short of the first anniversary of Russia's war against Ukraine, Biden arrived in Poland on Tuesday, only a day after he paid an unannounced visit to Kiev, proclaiming a commitment to bolstering the alliance's eastern flank against alleged threats from Moscow.

“Ukraine will never be a victory for Russia. Never,” Biden declared during a speech in the gardens of the Royal Castle in Warsaw.

Biden said Russian President Vladimir Putin believed that NATO lacked the resolve to continue supporting Ukraine as the war enters its second year. "But there should be no doubt, our support for Ukraine will not waver. NATO will not be divided and we will not tire."

The US president warned of "hard and very bitter days" as Russia gears up for a possible spring offensive, but claimed that Ukraine "is steeled for the fight ahead."

Biden also announced that his administration would tighten the sanctions against Russia.

On arrival, Biden met with his Polish counterpart, Andrzej Duda, who is one of the most vocal proponents of stronger Western support for Kiev.

Biden's unannounced visit to Ukraine made him the first American president to make such a journey to a country at war without US troops on the ground.

US president makes surprise visit to Kiev, pledges $500mn in new military aid

US President Joe Biden arrives in the Ukrainian capital Kiev in an unannounced visit.

"As I told [Ukrainian] President [Volodymyr] Zelensky when we spoke in Kiev yesterday, I can probably say that our support for Ukraine remains unwavering," Biden told his Polish counterpart.

"We have to have security in Europe. It's that basic, that simple, that consequential," Biden said at the presidential palace in Warsaw, describing NATO as "maybe the most consequential alliance in history."

The US-led military alliance is "stronger than it's ever been" despite Russian President Vladimir Putin's hopes that it would fracture over the war in Ukraine, the US president added.

Duda, for his part, said that Biden's visit demonstrated Washington's commitment to maintaining security in Europe, and described the US president's stop in Ukraine as an "incredible gesture."

Poland has NATO's longest border with Ukraine and has been the main route in for weapons and out for refugees.

Putin blames West for Ukraine war, suspends nuclear treaty with US

In a state-of-the-nation address in Moscow on Tuesday, Russian President Vladimir Putin accused Western countries of fanning the flames of the war in Ukraine.

Biden will return to Washington on Wednesday, but before leaving, he will meet leaders of the Bucharest Nine, the countries on NATO's eastern flank, to reaffirm support for their security.

Russia launched what it calls "a special military operation" in Ukraine on February 24, 2022, over the perceived threat of the ex-Soviet republic joining NATO. Since then, the United States and Ukraine's other allies in Europe have sent Kiev tens of billions of dollars worth of weapons, including rocket systems, drones, armored vehicles, tanks, and communication systems, despite Kremlin's warnings that it will prolong the war.

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