Biden news - live: President speaks with Zelensky amid warnings Putin’s forces could storm Kyiv within hours

President Joe Biden gave his first address to the nation since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine,

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US troops will not be deployed to “fight in Ukraine”, Mr Biden insisted on Thursday.

“Let me say it again. Our forces are not and will not be engaged in the conflict with Russia in Ukraine” he said.

“Our forces are not going to Europe to fight in Ukraine but defend our NATO allies and reassure those allies in the east.

“As I made crystal clear, the United States will defend every inch of NATO territory with the full force of American power.”

Mr Biden said that he had authorised the deployment of US troops to Europe to defend NATO allies in the region.

But, as Ukraine is not in NATO, US troops will not be sent into Ukraine or engage in defending the country from Russian forces.

“We’re also taking steps to defend our NATO allies. Particularly in the east,” he said.

NATO will convene a summit on Friday “to map out the next steps we will take to further strengthen all aspects of our NATO alliance”, Mr Biden added.

His reassurance came after a bipartisan group of lawmakers sent Mr Biden a letter asking him to seek congressional support if he wants to send US troops into Ukraine.

Mr Biden insisted that he did not “underestimate” Mr Putin as he said he has no plans to speak with him.

In Thursday’s press conference, Mr Biden said the Russian president has shown that he wants to rebuild the Soviet Union.

“He has much larger ambitions than Ukraine. He wants to re-establish the former Soviet Union. That is what this is about,” he said.

The US has decided not to impose sanctions personally on Mr Putin in a move that Mr Biden was unable to explain.

Mr Biden unveiled a series of sanctions including restrictions on Russian elites in his briefing on Thursday afternoon.

However, the Russian president was left out of the list of the individuals personally impacted.

When faced with questions from reporters about why Mr Putin had not been sanctioned, Mr Biden gave no clear answer.

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The president promised the American public that his administration will do “everything” it can to limit the rise in gas prices, as the cost of oil soared and global markets plunged in the wake of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.

Mr Biden admitted that the situation in Europe will trigger some turbulence for US gas prices and vowed to “limit the pain” as best he can.

"As we respond, my administration is using ... every tool at [our] disposal to protect American families and businesses from rising prices at the gas pump,” he said.

“We’re taking active steps to bring down the cost, and American oil and gas companies should not — should not — exploit this moment to hike their respect prices to raise profits.”

The president said his administration is “actively working with countries around the world to elevate collective release from the strategic petroleum reserves for major energy-consuming countries” and that the US “will release additional barrels of oil as conditions warrant”.

“I know this is hard and that Americans are already hurting. I will do everything in my power to limit the pain the American people are feeling at the gas pump,” he said.

“This is critical to me. But this aggression cannot go unanswered. If it did, the consequences for America would be much worse. America stands up to bullies. We stand up for freedom. This is who we are.”

Mr Biden refused to comment on China’s response to the Ukraine invasion during the Q&A after his speech to the nation.

When asked whether he was urging China to condemn Russia, the president paused before responding: “I’m not prepared to comment on that at the moment.”

Earlier on Thursday, China’s Foreign Ministry refused to call Russia’s attack on Ukraine an “invasion” and appeared to push the blame onto the US.

Assistant Foreign Minister Hua Chunying was asked multiple times in a press conference whether she would define the situation as an invasion but she repeatedly avoided giving a yes or no answer.

“The US has been fueling the flame, fanning up the flame, how do they want to put out the fire?” she said at one point.

The president described Mr Putin as a “pariah” while saying that the US is not “alone” in responding to Russia’s aggression in Ukraine.

Mr Biden pointed out that he had met with the G7 leaders that day and that the G7 and 27 members of the European Union were standing in solidarity in implementing new sanctions.

“Putin will be a pariah on the international stage,” he said.

“Putin’s choice to make a totally unjustifiable war on Ukraine will have left Russia weaker and the rest of the world stronger.”

The president unveiled a series of sweeping new sanctions on Russia which will target the nation’s top banks, elite individuals and access to technology, which he said will have a “long-term impact” on the nation’s economy.

“This is going to impose severe costs on the Russian economy, both immediately and over time,” he said.

“We have purposefully designed these sanctions to maximize a long-term impact on Russia and to minimize the impact on the United States and our allies.”

Mr Biden has said that Mr Putin planned the “premeditated attack” on Ukraine for months and vowed that Russia will now “bear the consequences” of its actions.

“Putin is the aggressor. Putin chose this war and now he and his country will bear the consequences,” he said.