United States

We spoke to Alexander Vindman – who is the former Director for European Affairs for the United States’ National Security Council.

There have been some unbelievable scenes at awards ceremonies, but none quite like this.

We’re joined by retired US colonel and former defence advisor to Ukraine Liam Collins, who helped train and reform Ukraine’s military between 2016 and 2018.

Odesa in Ukraine, has a namesake thousands of miles away – Little Odesa in New York. 

Basketball stars in the US claim they have been told not to make a “big fuss” in public about Olympic medalist Brittney Griner, who has been detained in Russia since February. 

President Biden called the fight against President Putin’s war on Ukraine a “new battle for freedom” and he has promised more military support for the war effort.  

President Biden is on his way to Europe for a summit of Nato leaders tomorrow. On the agenda is beefing up support not just to Ukraine, but to all countries deemed to be at risk from Russian pressure.

The US and Chinese presidents talked for the first time this year, and it seems, they both told each other that the war in Ukraine must end as soon as possible.

Within the last hour, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken has been holding a press conference where he backed President Biden’s suggestion that Vladimir Putin is committing war crimes and warned China not to back Russia.

Addressing a joint session of the US Congress, President Zelenskyy today called again for a no-fly zone. But failing that, he said, send more weapons.

US and European nations have accused Russia of using the UN Security Council to promote disinformation about the US funding biological weapons in Ukraine. 

With the Ukrainian government desperate for more ways to protect its skies, a Polish plan to pass Mig-29 jets to Ukraine in return for equipment in kind from the US must have seemed welcome. 

After his meeting with fellow Western foreign ministers today in Brussels,  US Secretary of State Antony Blinken warned that President Putin could open a “Pandora’s box of trouble” for the entire world,  adding that Nato did not seek conflict, but “if conflict comes to us, we are ready for it”. 

We were joined from Washington by the British Ambassador to the US, Karen Pierce.

In the United States, the White House said President Biden would address the Russian invasion of Ukraine in his State of the Union speech on Tuesday and what lies ahead for Americans.