Biden's Final U.N. Address: A Call for Diplomacy Amid Worldwide Conflicts

U.S. President Joe Biden made his final address to the U.N. General Assembly, emphasizing the importance of diplomacy in resolving global conflicts. He focused on the ongoing wars in Ukraine, Gaza, and Sudan and discussed U.S. relations with China and Iran. Biden's speech aimed to strengthen international cooperation and peace efforts.

U.S. President Joe Biden addressed world leaders at the United Nations for the final time on Tuesday, declaring that Russia's war in Ukraine has failed and that a diplomatic solution between Israel and Lebanon's Hezbollah was still possible.

With four months left in office, Biden stepped up to the green-marbled lectern at the U.N. General Assembly, addressing conflicts in Ukraine, the Gaza Strip, and Sudan that are likely to outlast his presidency, ending in January. He sought to calm tensions as the nearly year-long war between Israel and Hamas in the besieged Gaza Strip threatens to engulf Lebanon, where Israel targeted over a thousand Hezbollah sites on Monday.

"Full scale war is not in anyone's interest, even if the situation has escalated; a diplomatic solution is still possible," he told the 193-member U.N. General Assembly. To a round of applause, Biden called on Israel and Hamas to finalize the terms of a Gaza ceasefire and hostage release deal proposed by the U.S., Qatar, and Egypt.

Biden's presidency has also been marked by Russia's February 2022 invasion of Ukraine. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy was in the assembly hall to hear Biden speak and emphasize U.S. support for his country. "The good news is Putin's war has failed at its core aim. He set out to destroy Ukraine, but Ukraine is still free," Biden said.

"We cannot grow weary, we cannot look away, and we will not let up on our support for Ukraine, not until Ukraine wins with a just, durable peace," he stated. Russia controls just under a fifth of Ukraine, including about 80% of the Donbas area. Russian forces have begun storming the eastern Ukrainian town of Vuhledar, a stronghold that has resisted Russian attacks since the war's inception, according to Russian war bloggers and state media.

Biden is set to hear from Zelenskiy about a new Ukrainian peace plan when they meet in Washington on Thursday. A U.S. official indicated the plan likely mirrors previous calls for more weaponry and support for Ukraine's fight. Countering China and Iran, which supports both Hamas and Hezbollah, has occupied significant parts of Biden's agenda.

On Tuesday, Biden stated that progress toward peace in the Middle East would strengthen the global position against Iran's threats. "Together we must deny oxygen to its terrorist proxies ... and ensure that Iran will never, ever obtain a nuclear weapon," he said.

He added that the United States seeks to responsibly manage competition with China to prevent it from escalating into conflict. "We stand ready to cooperate on urgent challenges," he mentioned. "We recently resumed cooperation with China to stop the flow of deadly synthetic narcotics. I appreciate the collaboration. It matters for the people of my country and many others around the world."

Biden also had stern words for the leaders of Sudan's warring factions: "End this war now."

Biden's U.N. speech is the focal point of a two-day visit to New York, including a climate address later on Tuesday and a Wednesday meeting with To Lam, the president of Vietnam. Biden has shown eagerness to deepen ties with the strategic Southeast Asian nation, a manufacturing hub key in countering Russia and China, with which Vietnam maintains relations.

Ukraine and Russia, Gaza, Iran, and China are expected to continue as challenges for the next president, whether Biden's successor is Vice President Kamala Harris, a Democrat, or former President Donald Trump, a Republican. Harris's foreign policy approach mirrors Biden's but is more stringent on the humanitarian crisis in Gaza. Trump, showing isolationist tendencies, holds little enthusiasm for supporting Ukraine's battle to oust Russian invaders and staunchly backs Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who has strained relations with Biden. Biden has consistently supported Israel's effort to eliminate Hamas militants but has been unsuccessful in negotiating a ceasefire-for-hostages deal. No breakthrough appears imminent.

Under Biden's leadership, the United States has supplied millions of dollars in weaponry to Ukraine and rallied NATO support for Kyiv. However, the conflict remains largely in a stalemate, with Russia holding parts of eastern Ukraine seized early in the war.

(With inputs from agencies.)