Washington:

Joe Biden said Monday that America was stronger on the global stage than it had been for decades, in a swansong foreign policy speech one week before Donald Trump’s White House comeback.

The outgoing US president took aim at Russia, China and Iran, and urged the West to maintain support for Ukraine in an address at the State Department setting out his international legacy.

But Biden’s unspoken target was Trump as he touted his rebuilding of international alliances over the last four years after his Republican rival’s chaotic first term.

“The United States is winning the worldwide competition compared to four years ago,” said Biden, after diplomats at the State Department gave him a standing ovation.

“America is stronger. Our alliances are stronger, our adversaries and competitors are weaker.”

The Democrat added that America’s ties with its allies were the strongest “in decades,” and said partners in the NATO military alliance were now “paying their fair share.”

Trump has repeatedly criticized NATO countries, at one point saying he would encourage Russia to do “whatever the hell it wants” to allies that did not pay their way.

The incoming president has also previously expressed admiration for Russian President Vladimir Putin — but Biden mocked Putin over the progress of Moscow’s invasion of Ukraine.

“When Putin invaded, he thought he’d conquer Kyiv in a matter of days. The truth is, since that war began I’m the only one that stood in the center of Kyiv, not him,” said Biden.

Biden became the first sitting US president to visit a warzone not controlled by American forces when he made a top secret visit to Ukraine’s capital in 2023.

He said the United States and its allies “can’t walk away” from Ukraine, to which Washington has sent billions of dollars in military aid since the war started in 2022.

– China won’t ‘surpass’ US –

“There is more to do,” said Biden.

Trump has vowed to get a Russia-Ukraine peace deal “in 24 hours” and there are fears in Kyiv he may force a ceasefire that sees Ukraine cede territory to Moscow.

Biden meanwhile insisted that China would “never surpass us” and that the United States would remain the world’s dominant superpower.

“According to the latest predictions, on China’s current course they will never surpass us — period,” Biden said.

He added that Washington managed its complex ties with Beijing and that the relationship “never tipped over into conflict” in his four years as president.

Biden’s speech was more restrained on Israel’s war in Gaza, with his administration facing criticism from within his own party for its unstinting support of Israel.

But he said a Gaza ceasefire and hostage-release deal was “on the brink” of “finally coming to fruition.”

The Democrat also defended another major foreign policy fiasco — the fall of Afghanistan’s US-backed government to the Taliban and the bloody US withdrawal of 2021.

“Ending the war was the right thing to do. And I believe history will reflect that,” Biden said.

The 82-year-old president finally urged the Trump administration to continue Biden’s green energy policies, saying climate deniers under Trump were “dead wrong” and “come from a different century.”

Biden’s foreign policy speech will be followed by a farewell address to the nation from the Oval Office in primetime on Wednesday.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

Washington:

 Outgoing President Joe Biden sought to burnish his foreign policy record on Monday and said U.S. adversaries are weaker than when he took office four years ago despite global crises that remain unresolved.

A week before handing over to President-elect Donald Trump, Biden in a rare State Department speech touted his administration’s backing for Ukraine against Russia’s 2022 invasion and for Israel’s wars in the Middle East.

Biden said the United States was “winning the worldwide competition” and would not be surpassed economically by China as had been predicted, while Russia and Iran have been weakened by wars without direct U.S. involvement.

“Compared to four years ago, America is stronger, our alliances are stronger, our adversaries and competitors are weaker,” Biden said. “We have not gone to war to make these things happen.”

While wars continue to rage in Ukraine and the Middle East, officials hope a deal between Israel and Palestinian militant group Hamas can be reached before Biden departs the White House on Jan. 20.

Biden said negotiators were close to reaching a deal that would free hostages held by Hamas in the Gaza Strip and halt the fighting in the Palestinian enclave to allow a surge of humanitarian aid.

“So many innocent people have been killed, so many communities have been destroyed. Palestinian people deserve peace,” he said.

Biden has faced criticism for providing Israel with weapons and diplomatic support during its assault on Gaza after Hamas attacked southern Israel on Oct. 7, 2023, killing 1,200 people and taking more than 250 hostages, according to Israeli tallies.

Since then, more than 46,000 people have been killed in Gaza, according to Palestinian health officials, with much of the enclave laid to waste and most of its population displaced.

Protesters shouting “war criminal” greeted Biden outside the State Department on Monday, some with signs and some throwing red liquid intended to look like blood.

Biden said he had helped Israel defeat adversaries like Hamas in Gaza and Hezbollah in Lebanon, both backed by Iran. The U.S. president also hailed Washington’s support for Israel during two Iranian attacks in 2024.

“All told, Iran is weaker than it’s been in decades,” he added, noting the collapse of the Syrian Assad government. “There’s no question that our actions contributed significantly.”

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)