“When I came to office as president, Afghanistan had replaced Vietnam as America’s longest war,” Biden said in New York City. “I was determined to end it, and I did. It was a hard decision, but the right decision. Four American presidents had faced that decision, but I was determined not to leave it to the fifth.”

The decision to evacuate quickly caused lasting damage to Biden’s standing at home. Thirteen service members were killed at the Kabul airport in 2021, an anniversary recently marked by his political rival, former President Donald Trump, with a trip to Arlington National Cemetery. House Republicans continue to investigate the botched withdrawal and plan to advance a resolution this week condemning Biden administration officials for their role.

“The decision was accompanied by tragedy,” Biden said. “Thirteen brave Americans lost their lives, along with hundreds of Afghans, in a suicide bomb. I think of those lost lives. I think of them every day.”

Biden’s speech at the U.N. offered him one final chance to defend his record as president, coming at a time of growing conflict in the Middle East. But he also alluded to the political events that led him to abandon his plans to run for a second term this summer.

Biden faced growing pressure to step aside after a poor debate performance in June that left Democrats wondering if he could defeat Trump in November.

“Being president has been the honor of my life,” Biden said. “There’s so much more I want to get done. As much as I love the job, I love my country more. I decided after 50 years of public service, it’s time for a new generation of leadership to take my nation forward.”

“My fellow leaders, let us never forget, some things are more important than staying in power,” Biden added. “It’s your people that matter the most.”

Biden touched on Afghanistan, but also the foreign policy decisions that marked his time in office, arguing that his legacy will be reengagement on the global stage following the Trump administration.

“We honor their sacrifices as well as face the future,” Biden said. “I was also determined to rebuild my country’s alliances and partnerships to a level not previously seen. We did just that.”

The president warned against protectionism in a veiled swipe at Trump, who has pledged less U.S. involvement in foreign wars.

“We defended the U.N. Charter and ensured the survival of Ukraine as a free nation,” Biden said. “There will always be forces to pull our countries apart, and the world apart — aggression, extremism, chaos, and cynicism, a desire to retreat from the world and go it alone.”

In his first speech to the General Assembly since Hamas massacred Israeli civilians and soldiers in its Oct. 7 attacks, Biden called for a ceasefire and a two-state solution, saying the families of Hamas victims and civilians in Gaza are “going through hell.”

“I put forward with Qatar and Egypt a ceasefire and hostage deal,” Biden said. “Now is the time for the parties to finalize its terms, bring the hostages home, secure security for Israel and Gaza free of Hamas’s grip, ease the suffering in Gaza, and end this war.”

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The remarks outlined Biden’s vision for how the world should focus on multilateral cooperation and defended fundamental principles such as the U.N. Charter. He also called for an end to war in Sudan and said NATO is stronger than ever thanks to the additions of Finland and Sweden.

He directly acknowledged the fact that this will be his final address to the assembly at the beginning of his remarks, noting his involvement in American foreign policy dating back to his days in the Senate.