While Biden said he believes that in some ways the US is more unified than before, work remains to be done.

“It’s not as unified as it should be,” he said.

The president added that he believes the US – and the world – is going through an important historical “inflection point”.

“We’re going to see more change in the next 10 years as we saw in the last 15 years,” he said.

“I think you’re going to see an awful lot of transition. The question is whether we can keep up with that.”

He added that it will be difficult to be able to maintain the country’s democratic institutions, but that he refuses to give up.

Biden is asked if he regrets comments he made while in Atlanta advocating for the passage of his voting rights bills.

During the speech, he cast opponents of his plan as racists from the civil rights era.

The speech provoked a stiff rebuke from Republican Leader Mitch McConnell, who called it "profoundly unpresidential".

"Is the country more unified than before you took office?" asks Welker.

Biden says that it is a bit more, but not as much as it should be.

Image source, Getty Images

Biden commits to keeping Kamala Harris as his running mate in the 2024 re-election campaign amid speculation that he was displeased with her performance.

"Yes and yes," he responds.

On voting rights and why he didn’t take up the cause earlier in his administration, Biden said that the “timing” was difficult because of other domestic and international events.

Biden also spoke about the difficulties he’s faced connecting with people and letting them “take a measure” of his sincerity as a result of the Covid-19 pandemic and his inability to meet with people as he would have done previously. He also said he understands why some may think he didn’t anticipate the issue earlier or “speak to it as fervently” as many black voters would like.

“That’s a problem that is my own making, by not communicating as much as I should.”

You put Vice-President Kamala Harris in charge of voting rights, so "are you satisfied with her work on this issue?"

NBC's Kristen Welker also asks if he commits to picking her as his running mate in the 2024 election.

President Biden is asked a follow-up question about if he still thinks it's possible to get the Iranian nuclear deal back on track or if it's time to give up on the agreement, which was abandoned by former president Donald Trump.

"It's not time to give up, there is some progress being made. The P5+1 is on the same page but it remains to be seen," he answers succinctly about progress on talks.

• CONTEXT: The Iran nuclear deal, explained

Image source, Getty Images

Mr Biden is asked: Why have you not changed the definition of "fully vaccinated" to mean three shots, rather than two?

Is it because that would negatively change the percentage of Americans that are fully vaxxed?

"Anyway, you're protected. But you are better protected with the booster shot," Mr Biden responded.

"The answer is yes, get the booster shot," he added. "It's all part of the same thing."

Biden began his presidential term a year ago with 56% of Americans approving of his performance, according to RealClearPolitics.

But he's seen his approval rating slip.

Only former President Donald Trump had a more disappointing year, with an approval rating that fell from 45% on his inauguration day in January 2017 to 35% a year later, according to historical trends by Gallup.

Biden is asked whether his efforts on voting rights are just "a last-minute PR push" to appease one of his most loyal voting constituencies: black voters.

He is asked whether he has failed in his promise that he would have African-American voters' backs while in office.

Biden's two bills for the most sweeping overhaul of the US election system in a generation are hopelessly stalled in Congress.

Image source, Getty Images

Returning to ongoing tensions with Ukraine, Biden says that it is “very important” to stay on the same page as Nato allies in the face of a potential Russian attack.

He again promises “devastating” sanctions and said that Nato unity will depend on the extent of a Russian operation, which could range from cyber-attacks to a full-scale cross-border invasion.

“That decision is completely Putin’s decision,” he said. “I suspect it matters what side of the bed he wakes up on to decide what he’s going to do.”

But he says: "I don't think he's made up his mind yet."

Biden gets a follow-up question on something he said earlier about Mr Putin's desire to invade Ukraine. He said Russia intends to conduct a "minor incursion" into the country.

"Are you giving Putin permission to make a small incursion into the country?" he is asked.

Mr Biden beings with a chuckle and says: "It did sound like I was saying that, didn't it?"

Biden has just promised to do something about inflation.

Americans are feeling the strain on their wallets as consumer prices were up 7% from December 2020-21, the biggest increase since the 1980s.

Without naming his predecessor, Biden says that President Trump has “intimidated” the entire Republican Party by threatening their electoral prospects in the future.

“We’ve got to break that. It’s got to change,” he said.

He claims that a number of Republican lawmakers have privately expressed support for Biden’s policies, but neglected to speak out in fear of Trump’s wrath and losing elections.

He also took aim at Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell – who earlier today referred to the upcoming midterm as a "referendum" on Biden’s policies.

Biden said he doesn’t know what McConnell stands for and that his only objective is to obstruct Biden’s efforts to pass legislation.

However, McConnell helped pass Biden's $1.2 trillion infrastructure passage earlier this year.

During his answer to David Sanger of the New York Times, President Biden addressed how President Vladimir Putin views the Ukraine situation and the likelihood of him taking action.

"David, I'm not so sure he has, he's certain what he's going to do. My guess is he will move in - he has to do something."

The comment comes after US Secretary of State Antony Blinken warned Russia could attack Ukraine "on very short notice".

Blinken is on a trip to Kyiv after months of tension over a Russian military build-up near the border.

Nancy Cordes from CBS News asks about something that Republican Senate Leader Mitch McConnell said today.

The Kentucky senator said the November midterm elections will be a "report card" on three things: Inflation, border security and standing up to Russia.

She asks if that's a fair way to judge his presidency.

Image source, AFP via Getty Images

Again returning to the US economy and inflation, Biden said the US has the “capacity” to produce the computer chips needed to produce automobiles.

“If we could move to get that one thing done, it can make a big difference in terms of the total cost of living”.

He also added that he believes there will be a “reckoning” with regards to oil prices, which he said can have a significant impact on the daily expenses of working class Americans.

“We’re going to continue on trying to increase oil supplies that are available,” he said, adding that the US will work to be of “some value” with regards to the price of gas and natural gas.

Consumer prices have risen 7% from December 2020-21, the largest increase since the 1980s.

"Americans are feeling the squeeze of inflation," the next reporter asks.

So how long should Americans expect to face higher prices at the grocery store and the petrol pump?

Biden speaks of 'minor incursion'published at 21:46 Greenwich Mean Time 19 January 2022

21:46 GMT 19 January 2022

Barbara Plett Usher
State Department Correspondent, BBC News

The president doesn’t think Vladimir Putin wants a full-blown war, but plans to test the US and Nato as much as he can.

Biden has acknowledged that maintaining Nato unity will depend on the size of any potential Russian incursion: if it’s minor, we may “fight about what to do or not”, Biden says.

But if it’s major, allies are ready to impose severe costs.

The president also specified that increased US defensive support to Ukraine in response to an invasion would cost Russian lives.

Image source, TASS via Getty Images

In response to a question about whether Putin wants another Cold War between the US and Russia, Biden said he believes Russia will continue to “test” the West.

“I think he will regret having done that,” he said, adding that he believes Putin is likely ruing the demise of the Soviet Union as a superpower.

He added that he thinks Putin is trying to find Russia’s place between Russia and the West.

Looking back at previous interactions with Putin, Biden believes Putin's two priorities are an end to Nato expansion and avoiding the placement of strategic weapons in regions that threaten Russia.

“I think it will hurt him badly,” to take action, Biden said.

Biden vowed to place more troops into Poland – a Nato ally – calling it a “sacred obligation”.

A follow up question on Ukraine comes from David Sanger of the New York Times.

"When you were in Geneva in June you told us [about Putin], 'I think the last thing he wants now is a cold war'."

Given that the US secretary of state has warned that Russia could invade Ukraine at any moment, and that cyber-attacks on the US continue, does he still believe that the Russian leader does not want another Cold War?

Asked about a potential Russian invasion of Ukraine, Biden says: "It's one thing if it's a minor incursion and we end up having to fight about what to do and not do.

“But if they actually do what they're capable of doing with the forces amassed on the border, it's going to be a disaster for Russia.”

Biden's mention of a “minor incursion” raises a few questions.

In response to a question about whether the the US and West have "lost leverage" over Russia, given the ineffectiveness of previous sanctions, Biden says: "Well, because he's never seen sanctions like the ones I've promised."

The president says he and Putin have had "very frank" discussions and he remains confident Nato can agree on a collective response.

"Russia will be held accountable if it invades," he says - adding his counterpart has a "stark choice" with the action he may take.