Biden to deliver final speech to U.N. General Assembly as president

President Biden on Tuesday will deliver what will be his final speech to the United Nations General Assembly — and it’s also likely to be one of his last speeches on the world stage as president, capping a decades-long political career that has focused heavily on foreign policy.

The 79th session of the United Nations General Assembly, colloquially known as UNGA, is bringing leaders from across the globe to New York. A senior administration official told reporters the themes of the president’s speech will encompass many of his foreign policy themes throughout his administration — rallying the world around Ukraine, managing global competition and emphasizing the importance of sustaining the U.N. Charter. 

“He came into office four years ago with a vision of America returning to the world stage, having a new way of interacting with other countries bringing countries together to solve some of those big challenges,” a senior administration official told reporters. 

The official said the speech will be a chance for the president to “review” some of the foreign policy objectives Mr. Biden has achieved. 

It’s a busy week in foreign policy for the president, who met with the leaders of the Indo-Pacific nations — Japan, Australia and India — over the weekend at his Wilmington, Delaware home. He’ll be meeting with world leaders on the sidelines of UNGA, as well as meeting with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy at the White House Thursday. 

The unyielding tension in the Middle East promises to dominate much of the conference, and a senior administration official said the president will address what’s happening there. The senior official called the situation between Israel and Lebanon “delicate and dangerous.”

Missiles slammed into southern Lebanon on Monday, killing nearly 500 people, according to Lebanon’s health ministry, as Israel said it was targeting Hezbollah weapons hidden in residential buildings. The explosions came as Israel heralded a new wave of attacks on the Iran-backed group in Lebanon, warning civilians to flee from any buildings or areas where the organization had weapons or fighters positioned.

Mr. Biden has said he believes a cease-fire and hostage negotiation agreement is close, but nearly one year after the deadly Hamas attack on Israel that incited the war, a deal remains elusive. Earlier this month, Mr. Biden said Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu isn’t doing enough to secure a deal. 

Last month, Hamas executed six of the people the group has been holding hostage, including an American citizen. 

At UNGA last year, a major focus was Russia’s continued war on Ukraine was a focus for Mr. Biden, who has emphasized the necessity of protecting democracy throughout his presidency and campaigns for president. 

Following former President Donald Trump’s presidency, which had more isolationist tendencies toward allies, Mr. Biden has emphasized that close relationships with allies is in America’s best interest. 

“To deliver for our own people, we must also engage deeply with the rest of the world,” Mr. Biden said during his UNGA speech last year. “To ensure that our own future, we must work together with other partners — our partners — toward a shared future. Our security, our prosperity, and our very freedoms are interconnected, in my view, as never before. And so, I believe we must work together as never before.”

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