amna: Now to our other major
story.
One year on since Russia's
invasion of Ukraine.
The two men in charge of the
world's largest nuclear arsenals
faced off rhetorically today.
President Biden in Warsaw,
before a rousing crowd, and
Russian president Putin in
Moscow, in front of an orderly
audience of his lieutenants and
supporters.
Again with the support of the
pulitzer center, Nick schifrin
reports from Ukraine.
>> Hello, Poland.
Nick: In an eastern European
capital, neighboring the largest
war in 80 years, president Biden
today spoke in the language of
civilizational conflict.
Pres. Biden: The principles and
the stakes are eternal.
The choice between chaos and
stability.
Between building and destroying.
Between hope and fear.
Between democracy that lifts up
the human spirit, and the brutal
hand of the dictator who crushes
it.
Nick: U.S. Officials said before
the speech president Biden would
not get in a tit for tat, he
clearly targeted one man.
Pres. Biden: The west was not
plotting to attack Russia, as
Putin said today.
This war was never a necessity.
It's a tragedy.
President Putin chose this war.
Every day the war continues is
his choice.
He could end the war with a
word.
Nick: Poland was among the first
countries to join nato.
Today, Biden reiterated the
U.S.' commitment to nato's
collective defense, and vowed
democracy, would prevail over
autocracy.
Pres. Biden: President Putin's
craven lust for land and power
will fail.
And the Ukrainian people's love
for their country will prevail.
Democracy in the world will
stand guard over freedom today,
tomorrow and forever.
Nick: 1100 miles east and eight
hours earlier, president Putin
had his own audience, and blamed
the war in Ukraine, mostly on
the west.
>> Responsibility for fomenting
the Ukrainian conflict, for its
escalation and for the
increasing number of victims,
lies entirely with western
elites.
And of course, the current
regime in Kyiv, for which the
Ukrainian people are essentially
strangers.
Nick: And Putin announced Russia
was suspending participation in
the new strategic arms reduction
treaty, or new start.
It's the final bilateral arms
control treaty that applies to
long-range, city-destroying
nuclear weapons.
New start limits Russia and the
u.s.'s deployed nuclear
warheads, and includes extensive
verification measures.
U.S. Officials had already
accused Russia blocking some of
those measures, and tonight the
Russian foreign ministry said it
would come in fact, respect new
start's requirements.
But in his 100 minute long
speech, Putin also said he'd put
nuclear systems on what he
called "Combat duty."
President Putin: What is
important is that russia-u.s.
Relations have deteriorated.
The responsibility for that is
fully with the United States.
It was them who started revising
the post-world war II
arrangements after the collapse
of the soviet union.
They started to build the world
in the American way, with just
one master, one lord.
Nick: Today nato secretary
general Jens Stoltenberg said
Putin's announcements, had made
the world a more dangerous
place.
>> With today's decision on new
start, the whole arms control
architecture has been
dismantled.
I'm calling on Russia today to
reconsider its decision to
suspend its participation in the
new start agreement.
Nick: But what is clear, Putin
is not reconsidering the war in
Ukraine.
Today, Russian rockets struck in
the middle of one of the largest
cities in Ukraine's south.
At least six died, in a war that
Biden today called Putin's
choice, and Putin called, a
necessity.
As for president Putin's
response to president Biden's
speech, we'll have to wait for
the morning for that.
But earlier today, Putin's
spokesman said that Putin
wouldn't even watch the speech,
but would instead rely on a
summary of it prepared by his
staff.
Amna?
Amna: Nick schifrin in Ukraine
for us tonight.
Nick, thank you.