Biden and Putin deliver dueling fiery speeches on Ukraine

WARSAW — The leaders of the United States and Russia delivered blistering, contradictory addresses in Eastern Europe on Tuesday, showcasing starkly opposing worldviews as they spoke on the eve of the first anniversary of a Ukraine war that has set the two superpowers increasingly at odds.

President Biden, speaking to an enthusiastic crowd outside Poland’s Royal Castle, urged the world’s nations to recommit to a unified defense of Ukraine, saying global democracy is at stake and accusing Russia of committing crimes against humanity through its “abhorrent” acts against civilians.

A few hours earlier, Russian President Vladimir Putin, addressing a joint session of the Russian parliament, reiterated his attacks on what he called Ukraine’s “neo-Nazi regime” and, in a dramatic move, announced that Moscow was suspending its participation in New START, the last remaining U.S.-Russia nuclear arms agreement.