In a speech at the United Nations, the US president reinforced his support for Ukraine and said that only Moscow has the power to end the war in Ukraine. “Only Russia, only Russia is responsible for this war.”
(DW) US President Joe Biden warned on Tuesday (19/09), during a speech to the United Nations General Assembly, that no country will be secure in its independence if Ukraine loses the war against Russia.
For the US president, continued military support for the Ukrainian government is necessary to defend the country’s territorial integrity and “dissuade” Moscow from invading other countries in the future.
“Russia believes that the world will tire of it and allow it to brutalize Ukraine without consequences. If we abandon the basic principles of the UN Charter, can any member state feel safe? If we allow Ukraine to be divided, will the independence of any nation be assured? The answer is no,” he warned.
Biden promised that the US will continue to support the Ukrainian people. “The United States, together with our allies and partners around the world, will continue to support the courageous people of Ukraine in defending their sovereignty and territorial integrity – and their freedom.”
The American president, who this time did not refer directly to Russian President Vladimir Putin, also stressed that Russia is “responsible for this war” and that it is in the Kremlin’s hands to end the conflict “immediately”.
“We strongly support Ukraine in its efforts to reach a diplomatic resolution that will provide just and lasting peace. Only Russia, only Russia, is responsible for this war. Only Russia has the power to end this war immediately,” said the 80-year-old politician. “And it is only Russia that prevents peace. Because the price of peace for Russia is the capitulation of Ukraine, the territory of Ukraine and the children of Ukraine.”
Expectations of resolution
The Democratic head of state has made mobilizing US allies to support Ukraine an important component of American foreign policy, arguing that the world needs to send a clear signal to Putin.
However, he has faced criticism from several Republicans who want the United States to spend less money on a foreign conflict. Former President Donald Trump, the leading candidate for the Republican nomination in the 2024 presidential election, has promised that he will seek a quick end to the war if elected again.
The Speaker of the House of Representatives, Kevin McCarthy, the most influential Republican in Washington, has also been questioning whether the country should continue sending billions in arms to Ukraine.
UN Secretary General António Guterres has lowered expectations of any progress in resolving the war in Ukraine, a conflict in which many African and Latin American countries have opted for neutrality.
Aware of this, Biden dedicated a good part of his speech to beckoning the countries of the Global South, expressing his commitment to combating climate change and food insecurity, investing in infrastructure and regulating artificial intelligence.
Security Council: a thorn in the side
Regarding China, his great rival, the US president called for “responsible management” of the relationship between the two powers and emphasized the need to cooperate with Beijing on common challenges, such as climate change.
He recalled the record heat waves in the US and China, the forest fires in North America and southern Europe, the droughts in the Horn of Africa and the floods in Libya: “These events are warning us of what lies ahead if we don’t urgently reduce our dependence on fossil fuels and start protecting our world.”
Joe Biden assured that his country wants “a safer, more prosperous and more equitable world”, emphasizing that “no nation can face today’s challenges alone”.
For this reason, he reiterated his intention to reform the UN Security Council to include new members and put an end to the impasse due to the disputes between the US, Russia and China. The reform of the Council is a demand of several countries, including Brazil and Germany. In the speech preceding Biden’s, President Lula mentioned the issue.
The US president also asked the UN Security Council to authorize as soon as possible the intervention of a multinational force led by Kenya to calm the crisis of violence in Haiti, an initiative that the Haitian government itself has been asking for for months: “I ask the Security Council to authorize this mission now. The people of Haiti can no longer wait,” he urged.
In his analysis of the international situation, Biden also condemned North Korea’s missile launches, pledged to prevent Iran from obtaining nuclear weapons and advocated a two-state solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.
jps/av (EFE, AFP, Reuters)