In the first of several farewell addresses this week, President Joe Biden said his administration leaves his successor Donald Trump “a very strong hand to play” in foreign policy.
Biden argued that his administration has strengthened fractured alliances that have made a difference in international flashpoints, notably after Hamas’s attack on Israel and Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
“When Putin invaded Ukraine, he expected to conquer kyiv in a matter of days,” Biden said in his speech at the State Department. “But the truth is that since the start of the war, I have been the only one to be in the center of kyiv, not him. Putin never did it.
The speech was broadcast by major cable news networks.
Biden did not dwell on the chaotic nature of the U.S. withdrawal from Afghanistan, during which a terrorist attack killed 13 U.S. service members. But the president said “it is time to end the war,” the longest in U.S. history.
Biden also said his administration was “pushing to conclude” a ceasefire deal between Israel and Hamas, but he did not go into detail on the issue that divides Democrats.
“We have a structure that will free the hostages, end the fighting, keep Israel safe and allow us to significantly increase humanitarian aid to the Palestinians who have suffered terribly in this war started by Hamas,” he said. Biden said. “They went through hell. So many innocent people have been killed, so many communities have been destroyed. The Palestinian people deserve peace and the right to determine their own future. Israel deserves peace and real security, and the hostages and their families deserve to be reunited, which is why we are working urgently to reach this agreement.”
The president also said that the United States is in a better position compared to China: “Many experts predicted that China’s economy would surpass ours. “…That’s not going to happen. Today, according to the latest predictions, on China’s current trajectory, it will never overtake us, period.”
Biden also warned that the United States must stay ahead in developing artificial intelligence, a concern that big tech companies have raised as Congress considers new regulations. He also said the biggest existential threat to the country was climate change, saying members of the new administration were “completely wrong” to deny it and wrong for not valuing clean energy. Trump’s team has indicated it will try to roll back parts of Biden’s energy policies, including those aimed at supporting the growth of electric vehicles.
Biden’s main farewell speech will take place on Wednesday, when he has scheduled an 8 p.m. ET speech in the Oval Office.
