Biden will call out Russian President Vladimir Putin by name in his State of the Union address, saying that Putin's actions in Ukraine have solidified the NATO alliance, according to an excerpt of his prepared remarks released by the White House.

"Putin’s war was premeditated and unprovoked. He rejected efforts at diplomacy. He thought the West and NATO wouldn’t respond. And, he thought he could divide us here at home," Biden is expected to say. "Putin was wrong. We were ready."

-ABC News' Justin Ryan Gomez

President Joe Biden tonight will shy away from any suggestion of "mission accomplished" when it comes to the pandemic, or even that the virus had morphed into an "endemic" state -- a term reserved to describe a virus that persists but is mostly predictable -- a White House official told ABC News.

Instead, the official described the president's speech as noting the nation is now able to "move forward safely in a way in which COVID no longer disrupts our lives the way it has previously."

The president also will "emphasize the need for the U.S. to remain vigilant in the face of an unpredictable virus, including by preparing for future variants," said the official, speaking on condition of anonymity in order to discuss details in advance of the speech.

-ABC News' Anne Flaherty

Republicans are tapping Iowa Gov. Kim Reynolds to deliver the Republican response to Biden’s State of the Union address, seizing an opportunity to feature a rising female leader in the party.

Reynolds’ staunch conservative approach on "culture war" issues, such as prohibiting "critical race theory" in schools, and opposition to strict mandates and statewide lockdowns during the pandemic make her an appropriate fit for the message Republicans want to send.

In a preview of tonight’s speech, Republican National Committee Chairwoman Ronna McDaniel said Republicans plan to offer an "optimistic alternative method to Joe Biden" as it relates to his foreign policy, rising gas prices and inflation, the border, crime, and the Biden administration’s pandemic response.

-ABC News' Lalee Ibssa

President Joe Biden told reporters he plans to talk during his address about his "determination to see to it" that Western allies are "on the exact same page" over sanctions against Russia for its invasion of Ukraine.

"Because that’s the one thing that gives us power to impose severe consequences on Putin for what he’s done and one of the few things that I’m confident he’s going to have think twice about, long term, as this continues to bite," Biden said during a lunch with network TV anchors Tuesday.

"It’s the unity of NATO and the West," he added.

-ABC "World News Tonight" anchor David Muir

Biden will call on Congress to pass a "unity agenda," comprising several initiatives that have been historically popular on both sides of the aisle, an administration official said on a call with reporters Tuesday morning.

While the call went on to highlight one example of the unity agenda -- mental health care -- the term is notable. The "unity agenda" could be the reframing of his stalled Build Back Better proposal -- Biden picking and choosing portions of that package his administration believes could pass with bipartisan support.

Biden will call for mental health initiatives, in the context of worsening mental health due to the pressures of the pandemic. One especially notable one: Due to mounting evidence that social media plays a major role in mental health challenges for young people, Biden will call on Congress to strengthen social media privacy protections, ban targeted advertising to kids and demand technology companies stop collecting personal data on children, an administration official said.
-ABC News' Sarah Kolinovsky