Addressing the assembly hall in New York, Biden took on the mantle of elder statesman as he alternated between a message of hope and a defence of his foreign policy record.
Without giving a clear vision of how the wars in Gaza, Ukraine and Sudan might end, he drew on his five decades in government service to exhort leaders to serve their people and find ways to make peace.
"I've seen a remarkable sweep of history," he said. "Things can get better, we should never forget that, I've seen that throughout my career."
Biden began with Ukraine, where he again condemned Vladimir Putin's invasion and called for continued support for Kyiv.
"We cannot grow weary," he said as Ukraine's president, Volodymyr Zelenskyy, looked on. "We cannot look away. We will not let up on our support for Ukraine. Not until Ukraine wins a just and durable peace." He also said "Putin's war has failed at his core aim", leading to a strategic reordering that strengthened Nato and brought two new countries, Finland and Sweden, into the security pact.
This story is from the September 25, 2024 edition of The Guardian.
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This story is from the September 25, 2024 edition of The Guardian.
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