French President Macron's stance on Ukraine and Russia

French President Macron plans to hold a meeting of European army chiefs to discuss sending troops to Ukraine after a peace deal with Russia. This move has been seen as confrontational by the Kremlin, with Russia ruling out European proposals for peacekeeping forces in Ukraine. Russia has increased its army size and dismissed Western claims of potential attacks on NATO members. Putin appointed a veteran diplomat, Alexander Darchiev, as the Russian ambassador to the United States to lead reconciliation efforts.

Russian-US Relations

Russian citizens advised not to travel to the United States, Canada, and some EU countries due to confrontational relations with the US. Russian foreign ministry spokeswoman warns of being 'hunted' by US authorities.

President Biden's State of the Union Address

President Biden delivers a loud and confrontational State of the Union address in an attempt to rally wavering Democrats and combat concerns about his age and campaign strength. The speech takes hard punches at various adversaries and emphasizes the threat to freedoms from illiberal forces both at home and abroad.