Biden bids farewell to UN amid global turmoil

President Biden on Tuesday bid farewell to the United Nations, highlighting the ongoing global turmoil and need for peace in an address to wrap his decades of foreign policy work.

The president, during his remarks at the session of the UN General Assembly in New York, recounted his decision to not run for reelection, calling it a “difficult” choice because there is more he wanted to do.

“As much as I love the job, I love my country more. I decided after 50 years of public service, it’s time for a new generation of leadership to take my nation forward,” Biden said. “My fellow leaders, let us never forget, some things are more important than staying in power. It’s your people that matter the most.”

In what he noted would be his last address to the international body, and his fourth as president, he recognized the challenges around the world.

The president said the United States and allies have been “determined to prevent a wider war” since the Oct. 7 Hamas attacks on Israel, which led to the ongoing war in Gaza. But, he acknowledged, that the Lebanese militant group Hezbollah is involved, and the war has escalated.

“Hezbollah, unprovoked, joined the October 7 attacks, launching rockets into Israel. Almost a year later, too many on each side of the Israeli-Lebanon border remain displaced,” Biden said. “Full-scale war is not in anyone’s interest, even as the situation has escalated, a diplomatic solution is still possible. In fact, it remains the only path to lasting security, to allow the residents from both countries to return to their homes, to their border safely, and that’s what we’re working tirelessly to achieve.”

Biden said on Sunday the U.S. is doing everything it can to prevent a broader war in the Middle East following the recent exchange of fire between Israel and Hezbollah. However, an Israeli bombardment in recent days has killed over 500 people and thousands have fled from Lebanon, making Monday the deadliest day in Lebanon since 2006.

“We’re also working to bring a greater measure of peace and stability in the Middle East,” Biden said Tuesday. “The world must not flinch from the horrors of Oct. 7. Any country, any country, would have the right and responsibility to ensure that such an attack would never happen again.”

He added, “innocent civilians in Gaza are also going through hell… they didn’t ask for this war, that Hamas started.”

Representatives from Israel and Palestine looked on during his remarks at the UN.

“Now is the time for the parties to finalize the terms, bring the hostages home…. Ease the suffering in Gaza and end this war,” he said to applause.

The president also reaffirmed his commitment to Ukraine and recounted that he asked UN allies to stand up for the war-torn nation.

“The good news is, Putin’s war has failed at his core aim. He set out to destroy Ukraine; Ukraine is still free. He set out to weaken NATO, but NATO is bigger, stronger and more united than ever before,” Biden said.

“The world now has another choice to make. Will we sustain our support to help Ukraine win this war and preserve its freedom? Or walk away and let aggregation be renewed and a nation be destroyed. I know my answer, we cannot grow weary, we cannot look away and we will not let up with our support for Ukraine,” he added, to applause from the room.

During his remarks, the president also spoke about climate change, artificial intelligence and competition with China.

He highlighted his career’s focus on foreign policy, starting with speaking out against apartheid in South Africa as a senator in the 1980s to the chaotic withdrawal of U.S. troops from Afghanistan, which he called “a decision accompanied by tragedy.”

“I’ve seen a remarkable sweep of history,” the president said.

He later added a message of optimism amid the global turmoil: “Even in the horrors of war, there’s a way forward. Things can get better. We should never forget that. I’ve seen that throughout my career.”