The American president’s speech focused on Ukraine, Gaza and China; Biden will give his farewell address to the nation on Wednesday (15), directly from the Oval Office
The president stated that he leaves the United States “stronger” than it was four years ago, during his last speech on foreign policy this Monday (13), before handing over the position to Republican Donald Trump next Monday (20). The American president’s speech focused on Ukraine, Gaza and China. “The United States is stronger, our alliances are stronger, our adversaries and competitors are weaker, (and) we didn’t go to war to make these things happen,” he said at the State Department. Members of the NATO military alliance now “pay their fair share”, he assured.
He repeatedly criticized the countries of the Atlantic alliance and, at one point, said he would encourage Russia to do “whatever it wanted” with allies who did not pay their dues. In the past, the Republican has also expressed his admiration for Russian President Vladimir Putin, while Biden mocked the Kremlin chief over the situation in Ukraine.
“When Putin invaded, he thought he would conquer Kiev in a matter of days. The truth is that, since this war started, I am the only one who went to the center of Kiev, not him,” he said. Biden became the first sitting US president to visit a war zone not controlled by US forces when he traveled to the Ukrainian capital in 2023.
The Democrat stated that the United States and its allies cannot “abandon” Ukraine, to which Washington has sent billions of dollars in military assistance since the start of the war in 2022. “There is more to do,” said the octogenarian, guaranteeing that Putin “did not achieve any of its strategic objectives”. Trump has promised to reach a peace deal “within 24 hours”, but there are fears in Kiev that he could force a ceasefire that would see Ukraine cede territory to Russia.
“They will never surpass us”
In the balance of his four years in office on foreign policy, Biden could not fail to talk about China, one of his priorities. The Democrat is convinced that “the United States is winning the global competition” against the Asian giant in a new era of global economy and technology.
“According to the latest forecasts, looking at China’s current trajectory, they will never surpass us. Period”, he stated, also boasting of having managed relations with Beijing in a “responsible” way. “We have created lines of communication between President Xi (Jinping) and me and between the leaders of our armies to avoid misunderstandings. We found ways to collaborate to face climate change, to reduce the flow of fentanyl in the United States”, he detailed.
The outgoing president welcomed the drop in drug overdose deaths in the United States and boasted that more fentanyl was seized at the border “in two years than in the previous five years combined.”
Trump has decided to declare war on fentanyl and is threatening to impose very high tariffs on Mexico, Canada and China until, according to him, the three countries take action against this synthetic opioid that is wreaking havoc in the United States. Biden’s speech was more measured on the war in Gaza, as part of the Democratic Party criticizes his unconditional support for Israel. Even so, the Democrat was optimistic.
The “right” in Afghanistan
“In the war between Israel and Hamas, we are on the verge of a proposal I presented in detail months ago finally becoming a reality,” he said. Biden defended the withdrawal from Afghanistan, which fell into the hands of the Taliban in 2021. “Ending the war was the right thing to do,” he considered.
Finally, the 82-year-old president urged the Trump administration to continue the green energy policies his administration has pushed, as climate deniers are “completely wrong.” Biden will give his farewell address to the nation on Wednesday (15), directly from the Oval Office.
*Report produced with the help of AI and information from AFP
Published by Carol Santos
