President Biden condemns Russia's attack on Ukraine; locals react to devastation from afar
As Russia continues its attack on Ukraine, president Joe Biden made a stark and condemning speech in Poland today against Russian president Vladimir Putin.
Speaking in Warsaw, Poland, on Saturday, Biden did not mince words when it came to talking about Russia. Biden
However, the president and his team had to backtrack one of his comments.
"For godsake this man cannot remain in power,'' Biden said.
It's that off-the-cuff remark that caused the White House to scramble for a follow up statement to try and clarify what the president said.
"The President's point was that Putin cannot be allowed to exercise power over his neighbors or the region. He was not discussing Putin's power in Russia, or regime change," the White House said in a statement.
Moreover, Biden did however warn Russia about extending its invasion into NATO territories.
"Don't even think about moving onto an inch of NATO territory," Biden said.
Locally, people from Ukraine are hoping the best for their loved ones who are still in the country.
As international leaders continue to debate what their next step, locals are taking immediate action.
CBSLA spoke with Nick Zaiets earlier this month before he left for the Poland-Ukraine border, where he has established a supply chain from Los Angeles to Lviv.
Zaiets is now back with his mom and mother-in-law but there is still no question his heart and emotions are still in Ukraine.
"As soon as I crossed the border I saw a lot of people coming out of Ukraine and it was painful. You cannot feel normal you just start crying basically that's what it is," he said.
"A lot of people got hurt physically or emotionally. It needs a lot of time to heal ... ," Zaiets said.
Meanwhile, Zaiets' nonprofit called "Ukraine United Association," is working endlessly to provide school supplie, food the thousands of displaced people in Ukraine.
Krista Barnes runs the nonprofit humanitarian organization called The Reel Project. Since 2008, Barnes has been creating humanitarian films and funds.
"In refugee camps they have a saying "go and see and come and tell" so I go and see and come back and tell and share. Anyone that donates 5 dollars, 5000 or 500-thousand, I want them to know where their money is going and I want the people to know that there's a connection, you know?"