(NewsNation) — President Joe Biden on Tuesday urged the world to continue to support Ukraine in its fight against Russia, telling leaders at the United Nations General Assembly they “cannot look away” from the conflict.
Biden was addressing the international body in New York City for the last time as president, having chosen to withdraw from the November presidential race and endorse Vice President Kamala Harris as the Democratic nominee.
Biden in his speech addressed the ongoing global conflicts in Ukraine and the Middle East, pledging continued support for Ukraine in the face of Russian aggression. He characterized the current question as whether the world would sustain support for the country’s fight for freedom or choose to walk away.
“We cannot grow weary, we cannot look away, we will not let up in our support of Ukraine,” he said.
Biden also condemned the Oct. 7 attacks in Israel and asserted the right of the country to defend itself while also calling for an end to the conflict. He promoted his proposed cease-fire plan, which he urged both Hamas and Israel to accept.
The president also addressed his decision to step away from the presidential race, calling the preservation of democracy the central cause of his presidency.
“As much as I love the job, I love my country more,” he said.
His remarks come as U.N. Secretary-General António Guterres has called the world a “powder keg” and said the current situation, including geopolitical divides, climate change, inequality, ongoing wars and threats from nuclear weapons, is unsustainable.
But, Guterres said, “the challenges we face are solvable” if the international community confronts the uncertainty of unmanaged risks, the inequality that underlies injustices and grievances and the impunity that undermines international law and the U.N.‘s founding principles.
“Today, a growing number of governments and others feel entitled to a “get out of jail free’ card,” he said in a reference to the classic board game Monopoly.
The gathering is set to begin after hundreds were reported killed following Israeli strikes on Lebanon. Israel has ramped up attacks on Hezbollah in recent days, raising the risk that the war in Gaza, now nearly a year long, could spiral into a wider regional conflict.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is one of the leaders set to address the UN this week, as is Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy is also set to address the UN as his country continues to fight back against Russian invasion in another ongoing war.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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