At UN for last time, Biden seeks to calm Mideast tension
NEW YORK — U.S. President Joe Biden addressed world leaders at the United Nations for the final time on Tuesday, declaring that Russia’s war in Ukraine has failed and that a diplomatic solution between Israel and Lebanon’s Hezbollah was still possible.
With four months left in office, Biden stepped up to the green-marbled lectern at the U.N. General Assembly with wars in Ukraine, the Gaza Strip and Sudan still raging and likely to outlast his presidency, which ends in January.
ADVERTISING
He sought to calm tensions as the nearly year-long war between Israel and Palestinian militants Hamas in the besieged Gaza Strip now threatens to engulf Lebanon — where Israel targeted more than a thousand Hezbollah targets on Monday.
“Full scale war is not in anyone’s interest, even if situation has escalated, a diplomatic solution is still possible,” he told the 193-member U.N. General Assembly.
To a round of applause, Biden called on Israel and Hamas to finalize the terms of a Gaza ceasefire and hostage release deal put forward by the U.S., Qatar and Egypt.
Biden’s presidency has also been dominated by Russia’s February 2022 invasion of Ukraine. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy was in the assembly hall to hear Biden speak and emphasize U.S. support for his country.
“The good news is Putin’s war has failed at his core aim. He set out to destroy Ukraine, but Ukraine is still free,” said Biden.
“We cannot grow weary, we cannot look away, and we will not let up on our support for Ukraine, not until Ukraine wins with a just, durable peace,” he said.
Russia controls just under a fifth of Ukraine, including about 80% of the Donbas area. Russian forces have begun storming the eastern Ukrainian town of Vuhledar, a stronghold that has resisted Russian attack since the beginning of the war, according to Russian war bloggers and state media.
Biden is due to hear from Zelenskyy about a new Ukrainian peace plan when they meet in Washington on Thursday. A U.S. official said the plan is probably much like previous plans calling for more weaponry and support for Ukraine’s fight.
