State of the Union: Biden rebukes Putin, offers 'unity agenda'

"We are stronger today than we were a year ago," the president said.

ByMeredith Deliso and Ivan Pereira
Last Updated: March 1, 2022, 3:14 PM EST

President Joe Biden delivered his first State of the Union address as Russian strikes were killing civilians, forces were massing near Ukraine's capital Kyiv and Russian President Vladimir Putin showed no sign of backing down.

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Mar 01, 2022, 3:14 PM EST

Biden to stress leadership on Ukraine

President Joe Biden's 9 p.m. ET speech, to be carried live on national television and seen around the world, will be delivered just days after Russia invaded Ukraine -- and days after he nominated the first Black woman to sit on the Supreme Court.

But he'll also be speaking to Americans suffering from historic inflation as the nation continues to emerge from the coronavirus pandemic.

President Joe Biden speaks as he announces Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson as his nominee to the Supreme Court in the Cross Hall of the White House, Feb. 25, 2022.
Carolyn Kaster/AP, FILE

With his job approval at an all-time low of 37%, Biden faces the difficult task of balancing their pain with his desire to reap the political benefits of his legislative wins so far -- a massive COVID relief package and a once-in-a-generation investment in the nation's infrastructure -- while also demonstrating his leadership on one of the greatest threats to European stability since World War II.

-ABC News' Ben Gittleson