Biden says sovereign states have right to make own decisions

"We will not recognize any nation having a sphere of influence. Sovereign states have the right to make their own decisions and choose their own alliances. Period," he said in Ukraine's parliament in Kyiv on Tuesday.

"It is equally important, by the way, for aggressors around the world to understand they can't use coercion, bribery, sending tanks and men across the border to extinguish the dreams and hopes of a people," he said.