US President Joe Biden addresses the 78th Session of the UN General Assembly in New York, USA, September 19, 2023.
Brendan McDermid | Reuters
President Joe Biden will try to balance the diplomatic achievements and goals of his presidency with the grim realities of wars in the Middle East, Ukraine and Sudan during a major speech Tuesday at his annual meeting United Nations General Assembly in New York, the last of his presidency.
With four months left in office, the speech is one of Biden’s few remaining opportunities to frame his foreign policy legacy in front of an audience of world leaders.
His address to the United Nations General Assembly will touch on what the administration considers its most important achievements. These include supporting Ukraine’s defense against a Russian invasion in 2022, managing competition with China, supporting UN mapoutlining global AI principles and working to address humanitarian crises in Gaza and Sudan.
“Since this is the president’s last General Assembly, it’s an opportunity for him to talk about how this approach has produced results, real achievements for the American people and for the world,” a senior administration official said at a briefing with reporters on Monday. .
But given the geopolitical backdrop for Biden’s speech, there will be little time for victory laps.
Since Biden’s final address to the United Nations General Assembly in September 2023, wars in Ukraine and Sudan have continued, while long-standing tensions in the Middle East have erupted into deadly clashes.
Less than a year after Israel’s massive military operation in Gaza following a Hamas attack on October 7, 2023, the Middle East is on the brink of a full-scale regional war.
The hostages taken by Hamas in the attack are either dead or remain in captivity. Tens of thousands of people in Gaza have been killed or injured. and the Palestinians suffer from a grim and worsening humanitarian crisis.
However, the Biden administration regularly touts its commitment to a ceasefire and hostage agreement.
Meanwhile, two and a half years after Ukraine’s war with Russia, some Republicans in Congress are now openly opposed to continuing to provide US arms to Ukraine as it battles battle after battle, with a murky way forward.
Sudan’s civil war has been ongoing for more than a year, with new ceasefire talks in the early stages as humanitarian conditions become increasingly difficult.
To address these challenges in his speech on Tuesday, Biden will emphasize the need for “strong and effective global institutions, including a tailored United Nations,” the administration official said Monday.
“This is his vision for countries that work together,” the official said. “A theme of his presidency and an important part of his legacy”
Biden also has a packed schedule of high-level meetings to address the onslaught of geopolitical issues behind closed doors.
“That’s one of the advantages of the UN General Assembly: you literally have the whole world here,” said the government official, who spoke on condition of anonymity to view the president’s agenda. “So when you have crises of the day, they will be dealt with.”
On Sept. 21, Biden hosted a summit in his hometown of Wilmington, Del., with the leaders of Australia, India and Japan.
On Monday, Biden met with United Arab Emirates President Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan in Washington. After his speech on Tuesday in New York, Biden will host a summit on the ongoing effort to combat synthetic drug trafficking.
On Wednesday, he will meet with President Tô Lam of Vietnam, the White House said. On Thursday, Biden will host Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky in Washington.
As Biden wraps up his presidency, foreign leaders are also taking time out of their U.S. itineraries to meet with his potential replacements: Vice President Kamala Harris and former President Donald Trump, the two major party nominees in November’s election.
Harris had her own meeting with the UAE president on Monday and will meet with Zelensky on Thursday in Washington.
Trump is also expected to meet with Zelensky, along with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Polish President Andrzej Duda, his campaign sources told NBC News.
