Congress Shows Unity With Ukraine At Biden's 'State Of The Union Address'

SAN FRANCISCO (KPIX) -- In his State of the Union address Tuesday night, President Biden deviated from tradition and spent the first 10 minutes of his speech focused on the conflict in Ukraine.

"When dictators do not pay a price for their aggression, they cause more chaos," said President Biden.

In a rare show of unity, Republicans and Democrats stood and applauded together.

Biden had harsh words for Russian President, Vladimir Putin, saying it was his goal for the US to inflict pain on Russia.

"When you are dealing with Putin, you've got to come across with confidence and from a position of extraordinary strength," says KPIX 5 military affairs analyst Retired Marine Corps Colonel Brendan Kearney.

He says Biden reassured Americans there are no plans for the US to fight against Russia in Ukraine, but Kearney worries conflict between our countries could be inevitable - especially as more US troops will be heading into neighboring countries, which are members of NATO.

"There's a chance if we were to build up too many troops on the Polish border or down in Romania… The chances of hostilities increase dramatically," says Col. Kearney.

President Biden also announced new sanctions against Russia in the State of the Union that would punish the country economically. The goal would be twofold. The first would be to make money in Russia become next to worthless, which could limit Russia's ability to continue the current military campaign. It could also put pressure on Putin's supporters.

"If they start suffering pain, I think the theory is, they in turn will turn around and pressure Putin to stop this absolute nutso campaign he's conducting in Ukraine," says Col. Kearney.

Talks to try to work out a ceasefire are expected in the coming days.