Biden sings his swan song at UNGA, urges support for Ukraine

President Joe Biden addresses the United Nations Headquarters during the 79th General Assembly, in New York, on Sept. 24, 2024.​

President Joe Biden addresses the United Nations Headquarters during the 79th General Assembly, in New York, on Sept. 24, 2024.

Anthony Behar/Sipa USA via Reuters

UNITED NATIONS – “There are more important things than staying in power,” President Joe Biden reminded world leaders on Tuesday in the United Nations General Assembly hall. During his final address to the UN as US president, Biden used his decision not to run for a second term to frame what he hopes will become his legacy on the global stage: a politician who fought for democracy to defeat autocracy.

He focused heavily on his administration’s support of Ukraine after Russia’s invasion, saying that the US and its allies had “ensured the survival of Ukraine as a free nation.” But he also acknowledged that Washington's leadership on Ukraine may end if Donald Trump is elected in November. In perhaps one of his last opportunities to gather global support, he asked the crowd, “Will we walk away and let a nation be destroyed?”

Later on Tuesday, the UN Security Council discussed the situation in Ukraine ahead of President Volodymyr Zelensky’s address to UNGA on Wednesday. In remarks before the Security Council, Zelensky excoriated Russia over its invasion of Ukraine and the tactics used throughout the war.

"Putin has broken so many international norms and rules that he won't stop on his own, Russia can only be forced into peace, and that is exactly what's needed, forcing Russia into peace, as the sole aggressor in this war, the sole violator of the UN Charter," Zelensky said.

The Ukrainian leader also criticized Iran and North Korea, referring to them as “de facto accomplices” in Russia’s “criminal war.” Western intelligence suggests that Tehran and Pyongyang have provided arms to Moscow.

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken, who was also at the Security Council meeting, echoed Zelensky’s criticism. "Support from Tehran and Pyongyang is helping Putin inflict carnage, suffering, and ruin on innocent Ukrainian men, women, children,” Blinken said.

On Thursday, Biden will meet with Zelensky to discuss Ukraine using American long-range missiles to strike deep into Russian territory — a step Biden has resisted, fearing it could cross a red line for Moscow and put the US in direct conflict with nuclear-armed Russia.

Meanwhile, as tensions and airstrikes between Israel and Hezbollah threaten a wider escalation in the Middle East, Biden said that “a full-scale war is not in anyone’s interests” and that “a diplomatic solution is still possible.” But he made no hint that the US is considering lessening its support for Israel, reaffirming his belief that after an atrocity like Oct. 7, “any country would have a right and responsibility to ensure that an act like that never happens again.”

More from GZERO Media

Proud Source became a Walmart supplier in 2021. Today, its team has grown by 50%, and it's the largest employer in Mackay, ID. Walmart supports small businesses across the country, and nearly two-thirds of Walmart's product spend is on products made, grown, or assembled in America. It’s all a part of Walmart’s $350 billion investment in US manufacturing, which helps small businesses grow and supports US jobs. Learn more about Walmart’s commitment to US manufacturing.

As Microsoft celebrates its 50th anniversary, Vice Chair and President Brad Smith sits down with company cofounder Bill Gates for a special episode of Tools and Weapons. They discuss Gates’ new memoir, "Source Code: My Beginnings," reflect on Microsoft’s impact over the past five decades, and explore why the next phase of the digital revolution is shaping up to be the most exciting yet. Subscribe and find new episodes monthly, wherever you listen to podcasts.

Germany's chancellor-in-waiting and leader of the Christian Democratic Union party Friedrich Merz reacts as he attends an extraordinary session of the outgoing lower house of parliament, the Bundestag, on March 18, 2025.

REUTERS/Annegret Hilse

Germany’s parliament made history Tuesday as it voted to sharply increase defense spending – by exempting it from limits on the country’s assumption of debt. Germany’s upper house, the Bundesrat, is widely expected to approve this change with a vote scheduled for Friday.

Midjourney

The Trump White House has received thousands of recommendations for its upcoming AI Action Plan, a roadmap that will define how the US government will approach artificial intelligence for the remainder of the administration.