Washington: The United States president Joe Biden is delivering his first State of the Union address amid low approval ratings.
A CBS News poll conducted in late February and released on Tuesday showed only 44 percent of respondents approved of the job Biden is doing, with 56 percent disapproving. Approval for the president’s handling of the Ukraine crisis is even lower, at 41 percent.
The State of the Union is a constitutionally mandated annual statement that the US president must deliver to lawmakers, briefing them about the country’s state of affairs.
Hours before taking the stage at the US Capitol, Biden spoke by phone to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.
“President Biden underscored the United States’ sustained help for Ukraine, including ongoing deliveries of security assistance, economic support and humanitarian aid,” the White House said in a statement describing the talks.
“The leaders discussed how the United States, along with Allies and partners, is working to hold Russia accountable, including by imposing sanctions that are already having an impact on the Russian economy.”