Joe Biden has said he helped “ensure the survival of Ukraine” as he outlined his legacy in his final speech to the United Nations General Assembly in New York.
Vowing to support Kyiv until victory in its war against Moscow, the US president said that Nato members and other allies in “50-plus nations stood up” to Russian “aggression”, adding: “We defended the UN Charter and ensured the survival of Ukraine as a free nation.”
“We could have stood by and merely protested,” Mr Biden said, but “at my direction, America stepped into the breach”.
“Most importantly, the Ukrainian people stood up,” he said.
‘We cannot let up’
Striking an optimistic note, the 81 year-old said that Vladimir Putin’s “core aim” with his invasion has failed and urged the UN to keep supporting Kyiv until it is victorious.
“He set out to destroy Ukraine, but Ukraine is still free,” Mr Biden said of the Russian president.
“He set out to weaken Nato, but Nato is bigger, stronger, more united than ever before, with two new members, Finland and Sweden.”
“But we cannot let up,” he added.