- Biden’s Warning to UN: Opposition to Russia’s Aggression in Ukraine
- Addressing Global Challenges: Climate Change and Fossil Fuels
- Artificial Intelligence, China, and Responsible Competition
The US president reminded the UN General Assembly that no nation’s independence is protected if Ukraine is partitioned.
Joe Biden has stated that the international community must oppose Russia’s “naked aggression” and support the Ukrainian people.
He told the UN General Assembly that Moscow alone started the war, hinders peace, and can end it fast.
The president of the United States exhorted UN members to maintain their support for Ukraine. Arguing that failure to do so would permit Russia to brutalize the country without compromise.
Mr. Biden remarked, “Is the independence of any nation secure if we permit Ukraine to be partitioned? I respectfully suggest that the response is no – we must oppose this brazen aggression today and deter future aggressors.”
He pledged that the United States “will continue to stand with the courageous Ukrainian people. As they defend their independence, territorial integrity, and sovereignty.”
The president’s remarks elicited applause from UN delegates – including his Ukrainian counterpart Volodymyr Zelenskyy, who was in the audience.
Earlier on Tuesday, UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres warned that Russia’s invasion of Ukraine “has unleashed a web of horror.”
Back in Washington, however, Mr. Biden has been criticized by Republicans who want the U.S. to spend less money on the war effort, with Donald Trump promising to pursue a swift end to the conflict if he is re-elected president in 2024.
“An existential danger”
He told the UN General Assembly that Moscow alone started the war, hinders peace, and can end it fast.
He stated, “Our future is tied to yours.”
The US president also told delegates that addressing climate change is “crucial”.
“We see it everywhere: record-breaking heatwaves in the United States and China, devastating wildfires in North America and southern Europe, and the fifth year of drought in the Horn of Africa,” he said.
Mr. Biden also referred to the “tragic, tragic” flooding that has murdered thousands of people in Libya and expressed his heartfelt sympathies for the displaced.
“These photos tell an urgent story of what awaits us if we fail to limit fossil fuel use and climate-proof the Earth,” he added.
The US president went on to state that his administration has treated the climate crisis as an existential threat “not only for us but for all of humanity” since the day he took office.
In regards to China and artificial intelligence
Mr. Biden also told the UN General Assembly in New York that “artificial intelligence holds enormous potential and enormous danger” and that the world must ensure that these technologies are used as “instruments of opportunity, not instruments of oppression.”
He added, “The United States is working to strengthen rules and policies so that artificial intelligence technologies are safe before they are released to the public.”
The president said world leaders also control this technology, not vice versa.
To avoid conflict with China, Mr. Biden stressed his intention to carefully manage rivalry between the two nations.
“We are for derisking, not decoupling with China,” he stated. “We will press back against aggression and intimidation and defend road rules. And we are also prepared to collaborate with China in areas where progress depends on our joint endeavors.”
