Biden to deliver final U.N. General Assembly speech amid global turmoil

President Joe Biden will address the United Nations General Assembly for the final time as commander in chief Tuesday morning amid the spiraling conflict in the Middle East, Russia’s ongoing war in Ukraine and growing global concerns about China’s influence.

His speech comes against the backdrop of the presidential race on its final leg before Election Day, knowing that his successor — Vice President Kamala Harris or former President Donald Trump — will face the same issues in the White House and may deal with them very differently.

They are also Biden’s first remarks before the General Assembly since Hamas’ attack on Israel in October and the conflict that has ensued in Gaza, killing thousands of civilians. He’ll speak to the leaders of other nations as hope for a cease-fire deal between Israel and Hamas has dimmed.

As Israel continues its battle with Hamas, its conflict with Iran-backed Hezbollah has also escalated in recent days. On Monday, Israel launched airstrikes on neighboring Lebanon, whose government said nearly 500 people were killed and more than 1,600 were injured in Lebanon’s deadliest day of conflict with Israel since 2006. Israel also issued evacuation warnings to people living in its northern region to escape the violence near the border.

National Security Council spokesman John Kirby told reporters last week that Biden will “reaffirm America’s leadership on the world stage” in New York and will “rally global action to tackle the world’s most pressing challenges.” They include, he said, climate change, artificial intelligence, the opioid epidemic and the wars in Gaza, Ukraine and Sudan.

As for his speech Tuesday morning, “the president will deliver an address to the U.N. General Assembly outlining his vision for how the world should come together to solve these big problems and defend fundamental principles, such as the U.N. Charter,” Kirby said.

Kirby said Biden will meet with U.N. Secretary-General António Guterres to “talk about how the partnership between the United States and United Nations in advancing peace and safeguarding human rights can endure and to — prosper.” Kirby said Biden will have engagements with foreign leaders Wednesday.

Biden is also scheduled to host a summit of a coalition to address synthetic drug threats, including the supply chain of illicit fentanyl. Republicans have often accused him of not doing enough to tackle the problem as part of the strategy at the U.S.-Mexico border.

Other key speakers expected at the General Assembly include Iran’s new president, Masoud Pezeshkian; Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy; Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas; and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

Biden administration officials have been involved in negotiating a cease-fire agreement between Israel and Hamas for months, though progress appears to have diminished. Defense Department spokeswoman Sabrina Singh told reporters last week: “We do not believe that the deal is falling apart. We believe that that is the best way to end the war that’s happening in Gaza and to lower those tensions in the region.” Still, there have been no recent signs of a breakthrough in talks.

Biden kicked off the week of global engagements near his hometown of Wilmington, Delaware, where he hosted the leaders of Australia, India and Japan on Saturday for a meeting of a security grouping known as the Quad.

Though officials say the Quad is not aimed at any particular country and China was not explicitly mentioned in the four leaders’ joint statement after the summit, Secretary of State Antony Blinken began the closed-door meeting by saying, “Our first topic of discussion is China.”

Biden then said, “China continues to behave aggressively, testing us all across the region,” in comments that were briefly caught on hot mics after journalists were escorted from the room.

The Biden administration’s policy toward China, the world’s second-largest economy, has been to “responsibly manage” competition while promoting diplomatic engagement in order to avoid conflict in what is often described as the world’s most important bilateral relationship.

Asked about Blinken and Biden’s comments on Monday, a Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson said the U.S. is “lying through its teeth” when it says it is not targeting China and that groupings such as the Quad undermine regional peace and stability.

During the summit, Biden announced various initiatives, including a “cancer moonshot” partnership with the other countries to save lives in the Indo-Pacific region.

Biden also faces ongoing criticism from GOP lawmakers over the chaotic withdrawal of U.S. troops from Afghanistan in 2021. Congressional Republicans who have been investigating the pullout recently released a scathing report with their findings. The administration and Democrats, on the other hand, have largely blamed Trump for what unfolded during the withdrawal.