right now on "ana cabrera

reports," president biden set to speak on the world stage. the 78th united nations general assembly just kicking off with the commander in chief's remarks scheduled to begin any minute now. and right now we're looking at live pictures from there. the president of brazil speaking before president biden. we'll take you there live. plus, the five americans freed from iran arriving back on u.s. soil this morning. we'll show you more of their emotional homecoming. and later, how did a fighter jet go missing? recovery teams on the ground trying to figure out what happened to the f-35 stealth fighter. it is great to be with you. it is 10:00 eastern. i'm ana cabrera reporting from new york. any moment now, we're expecting president biden to deliver remarks at the united nations general assembly where he is expected to defend democracy.

and offer, quote, full throated support of ukraine. ukrainian president zelenskyy will be there in person this year, but four of the five countries that hold permanent seats on the u.n. security council will not. france, the united kingdom, china and russia will all be absent. nbc's mike memoli is standing by at the united nations for us. also with us is nbc's andrea mitchell, and evelyn farkas, former senior adviser to the supreme allied commander of europe and michael crowley, "new york times" diplomatic correspondent. great to have all of you. mike, kick us off, mike memoli. tell us more about what we expect to hear from president biden today. >> well, ana, this is going to be the third time president biden has a chance to address the u.n. general assembly. this is an important opportunity for any u.s. president to speak about how they view america's role on the world stage, to speak to american values. we heard president biden talk so often about how he views this moment, that we're in a contest as he often puts it between

democracies like the united states and autocraies like russia and china. what administration officials are telling me as they were developing this speech is that in his third year in office, president biden wants to use this speech to talk about how he matched his word with actions, he's shown democracies working together, working through institutions like the u.n., like the world bank, have been able to deliver real results, not just for their own people, but for the global challenges we're facing around the world. that's going to be a big part of what the president wants to do, talking specifically about what he was able to achieve at the g-20 summit last week as well. but, of course, the number one challenge facing the world right now in the views of the president is what is happening in ukraine. we're going to see once again the president delivering strong words condemning russia's invasion of ukraine, he's going to say to the delegates here that russia believes the world will grow weary of this conflict, but that if we allow ukraine to be carved up as the independence of any nation secure? this theme is one that is also

playing a role in our politics at the moment. we can't escape that. interestingly president biden here in new york also holding some campaign fund-raisers last night in which he said the democracy is going to be on the ballot. he said that i will not side with dictators like putin that maybe trump and his maga friends can bow down and praise him, but i won't. it is not just important for the president to speak to his peers on the world stage about what's important, but a domestic audience as well that the president is mindful of here, ana. >> we're looking at the images of the president of brazil currently giving his remarks. the president of the u.s., president biden, expected to take that same stage, i guess, the dais there as he deliver his remarks following these comments from the president of brazil. andrea, what will you be watching for? >> well, picking up on what mike memoli said, they realized in 2016 and in 2020 that democracy

was a major issue. ever since charlottesville, that's the way he opened his 2020 campaign. and they're focusing on that on the beginning of the speech, they see democracy as a more fundamental issue for the world, democracy versus autocracy, but also, of course, democracy polls better with the american people. it is part of their political message, big part of their political message, ukraine doesn't poll as well. they are going to make -- he will make a big pitch for ukraine on the back end of the speech and zelenskyy will follow with his speech today, the first time that president zelenskyy is speaking in person to the world forum, not virtually. also he'll be going to washington tomorrow to rally congress in person. and as well as to meet with the president. all of that is going to be happening, the big focus on ukraine, importantly the russian and chinese leaders not there, it will be interesting to see

whether foreign minister lavrov is in his seat or whether he walks out during president biden's speech and you'll have raisi, the president of iran, i spent an hour with him with ten other journalists, lester holt from our team as well as some of the print journalists, it was off camera as he does every year. but this time he put it on the record. very interesting he's speaking in person as he does every year, but also meeting with journalists and saying at the end of the meeting, especially an off the record meeting, please disseminate my views, i hope you disseminate my views to your viewers and listeners. it was a mixed message of we want to collaborate with people, celebrating what he called the humanitarian gesture of the five americans getting out, but at the same time blaming the u.s. for prolonging their agony and blaming the u.s. for the -- what we know to be a grassroots uprising, a major uprising that started a year ago with the

killing when she was in custody by the women of iran saying the u.s. and others had fanned the flames of that protest. so, it was an aggressive meeting with us as well. >> right. you lay out the backdrop of all of these different international issues and the diplomatic challenges, perhaps, that the president will be facing as he is mingling and interacting with these leaders and trying to counter some of their messaging or support other aspects of what we're hearing, we believe this is the motorcade for president biden arriving there at the united nations general assembly before his remarks, which should get under way here shortly as our understanding. evelyn, what do you think about these four of the five permanent members of the security council? we're talking china and russia and the uk and france, what is the impact?

>> i think it is unfortunate, ana. it speaks to a crisis we have in the international order, a crisis in the legitimacy and support for institutions like the united nations. obviously the united nations is not perfect, has not prevented wars, but it has prevented global wars. and i think not having security council members like france and uk there to support our president, to support president zelenskyy is unfortunate. not having russia there, that's great, because president putin is under an arrest warrant by the international criminal court for essentially kidnapping hundreds of ukraiian children and bringing them, forcing them into russia and forcing them into russian families. this is something that he is -- he's been indicted -- not indicted for, but rather charged with these crimes. >> the international court. >> exactly. and any country that he goes to that is party to the treaty, now we aren't party to the treaty, but we do abide by international consensus, and so we would probably send him to the court.

that's why he couldn't go to the brics summit in south africa a couple of months ago. it is good he's not here in a way because he can't counter in person. andrea, you wanted to jump in. >> we should mention the president is going to talk about the global south about the challenges of food, refugees, and climate change, which is critical, which affects the people in africa and elsewhere in the world, but he's going to bring it to, you know, to focus on what happened in morocco what happened, you know, with hurricanes, what is happening all over the world. and drought and the u.n. ambassador has been focusing on that, the refugee crisis, i went her to chad the week before last to civil war that erupted again in west darfur and which many people on the ground believe is another genocide as it was in 2004 and 2005 when condoleezza rice was going there. >> i think what is interesting about this particular u.n. general assembly is there isn't

one obvious problem in the world right now that would be the center of focus for remarks by the president of the united states. there are all these different issues and topics, which really goes to show how challenging the environment is right now in which we live. >> so i want to jump in on china, i think it is much more interesting that president xi is not there and i'm not sure exactly why. if you can say, oh, out of solidarity for vladimir putin -- >> not to interrupt, but this is john kerry, the special envoy for climate crisis arrive as well along with press secretary karine jean-pierre arriving. continue your remarks on china. >> basically, president xi not showing up is interesting because there is a lot of political turmoil right now in china. he fired his foreign minister. the minister of defense has disappeared. the -- so there is -- and economic pressures are weighing

heavily on the chinese leader. he did not show up. he also did not show up at the brics summit, so the global south summit, if you will, and so i wonder internally what is happening in china. you are right, the number one issue is the climate, the environment. that's what we all need to work on. however, unfortunately the real risk to us right now is coming from russia's aggressive war against ukraine. if russia wins in ukraine, it will turn to other countries take them over, it will challenge nato. we don't want to be in a global war, but if russia challenges nato militarily, we may end up there. so all of these things need to be taken care of before we can even get to the environment agenda in a weird way. and, of course, the war is exacerbating food security, the issues that andrea mentioned, cindy mccain is in town, she's talking at various meetings and at the clinton global initiative about food security. the war and russia's blockade of ukraine has exacerbated the problem for people primarily in

sub-saharan africa and north -- the north africa, middle east. >> we're continuing to look at images there of the entrance as we anticipate president biden should be walking in himself any moment now. there you have the president, alongside the u.s. ambassador to the u.n., linda thomas-greenfield, and he will be going into the general assembly and will be taking the stage very, very shortly. i want to get michael crowley also into our conversation here. michael, axios is reporting that the absence of some of these other members of the security council could, quote, allow biden to present himself as what one of his close advisers called the president of the world. is that the goal for the u.s. administration? >> well, you know, the american president is always the star of the u.n. general assembly. his speech tends to set the tone. president biden might appreciate less competition, but i don't know that it makes a measurable

difference. i hope he feels secure in his status as the leader of the free world and on balance, you know, i agree with what people have said already that i think president biden, u.s. officials will probably prefer the participation at least of the uk and france, because, you know, i think the point that i would make, you guys have covered the basis really well, but just consider the context of this speech, okay. a lot of the substance is going to be familiar. the world has to stand behind ukraine, we can't let up, we have to stand up to the russians. but the context is coming at a moment where ukraine's counteroffensive has been under way now for months and has been a disappointment. it is not over. it doesn't mean that the war is settled or its outcome is determined, but people had been hoping for more progress by this point. and the problem is that i think you're starting to hear increasingly -- increasing talk about where this goes from here.

this counteroffensive has been grinding, incredibly bloody, a lot of people dying, a huge amount of money invested in it. and the context here, even if president biden doesn't talk about the counteroffensive and the battlefield specifically is that the u.s. position is okay, this didn't work, the highest hopes always a bit improbable that the ukrainians would smash through and completely transform the nature of the war. that hasn't materialized. but we can't let up as a result, that doesn't mean we surrender. there are a lot of reasons why continuing to push could work out. the russians are weak in many ways, they are also strong in many ways. so it is complicated. my point is that that context here is critical. that president biden will be saying things that we have heard before about ukraine, but i think he realizes now that his audience may be growing increasingly weary and skeptical and the challenge for him and president zelenskyy is to keep the interest up, keep the

support up, while acknowledging the concerns of the global south and all the other issues of people who have come to new york this week also want to be talking about. >> and so as we await the president's remarks, i'll note that you saw the brazilian president lula wrapped up his remarks, so president biden is up next. talk to us about -- mike memoli, talk to us about what else is on the president's agenda after these remarks. >> well, it is an interesting meeting that the president has in addition to obviously one with the u.n., the president of the general assembly here. s going to be meeting with the c 5 plus 1. we're familiar with the bucharest nine, the nato allies that border russia to its west. president biden is opening up a new front in how he's managing russia by meeting with a group of central asian countries, former soviet republics.

to try to again grow america's influence in some developing democracies that is part of the president's agenda today. you'll also see the president tomorrow turning his focus to what has been another priority for the administration, one that has been sort of below the surface, of course, which is efforts to continue to normalize relations between israel and some of its neighbors so he'll have a meeting with israeli prime minister benjamin netanyahu, a meeting that has been long in the works since netanyahu returned to office. we know the complicated nature of that relationship as well. but that's going to be a very important meeting tomorrow as the president and his administration are working toward that and we'll see a meeting with the president of brazil as he works to build on that alliance with countries in the global south. >> michael crowley, we have been reporting on the five detained americans getting released from iran. they actually just landed back in the u.s. this morning. what kind of influence could this development have on the dynamics at the general assembly? >> well, actually, a little less than you might think.

of course, this is great news for the americans, their families and the biden administration, which sees this as a big success. they worked at this for a while even though they are taking substantial criticism from republicans who say that the price paid was too high, we'll leave that aside for the moment. the reason i say less than you might think is that that deal probably creates a better climate for relations with iran. we cleared a huge obstacle out of the way. it is hard to do business with a country that is holding your people prisoner and we have a lot we want to do including addressing the nuclear program. there is no engagement planned with iran here, into the even indirect talks or messages between the u.s. and iran. >> michael, we now have the president of the united states being announced. let's listen. >> -- and i invite him to address the assembly. >> mr. president, mr. secretary-general, my fellow leaders, about a week ago i

stood on the other side of the world. in vietnam, on soil once bloodied with war. and i met a small group of veterans, americans and vietnamese, who -- i watched the exchange of personal artifacts from that war. identification cards and a diary, it was deeply moving to see the reaction of the vietnamese and american soldiers. culmination of 50 years of hard work on both sides to address the painful legacies of war and to choose, to choose to work together toward peace and a better future. nothing about that journey was inevitable. for decades, it would have been unthinkable for an american president to stand in hanoi, along size a vietnamese leader and announce a mutual commitment to the highest level of country's partnership.

but it is a powerful reminder that our history need not dictate our future. with the leadership and careful effort, adversaries can become partners. overwhelming challenges can be resolved. and deep wounds can heal. so let us never forget that. when we choose to stand together and recognize the common hopes that bind all humanity, we hold our hands, in that power to bend that arc of history. my fellow leaders, we gathered once more at an inflection point in world history. but the eyes of the world upon all of you, all of us. as president of the united states, i understand the duty my country has to lead this critical moment. to work with countries in every region, linking them in common cause, to join together with

partners who share our common vision of the future of the world, where our children do not go hungry, and everyone has access it quality healthcare, where workers are empowered and our environment is protected, where entrepreneurs and innovators everywhere can access opportunity everywhere, where conflicts are resolved peacefully and countries can chart their own course. the united states seeks a more secure, more prosperous, more equitable world for all people because we know our future is bound to yours. let me repeat that again. we know our future is bound to yours. and no nation can meet the challenges of today alone. the generations that preceded us

organized the united nations and built international financial institutions and multilateral and regional bodies to help take on the challenges of their time. it wasn't always perfect. but working together the world made some remarkable and undeniable progress and improved the lives of all people. we avoided the renewal of global conflict while lifting more than 1 billion people, 1 billion people out of extreme poverty. we together expanded access to education for millions of children. we saved tens of millions of lives that would have otherwise been lost to preventable diseases like measles, malaria, tuberculosis. hiv and aids plummeted no small part because of pepfar's work in 55 countries, saving more than

25 million lives. it is a profound testament to what we can achieve when we act together, when we take on tough challenges, and an admonition for all of us to urgently accelerate our progress so that no one is left behind because too many people are being left behind. the institutions we built together at the end of the second world war are an enduring bedrock of our progress. and the united states is committed to sustaining them. and this year, we're proud to rejoin unesco. we also recognize that to meet the new challenges of our decades old institutions and approaches, they must be updated to keep peace with the world. we have to bring in more leadership and capability, especially from regions that have not always been fully included. we have to grapple with the

challenges that are more connected and more complex. we have to make sure we're delivering for people everywhere, not just somewhere, everywhere. simply put, the 21st century results are badly needed, needed to move us along. that starts with the united nations, starts right here in this room. in my address to this body last year i announced the united states would support expanding the security council, increasing the number of permanent and nonpermanent members. the united states has undertaken serious consultation with many member states and will continue to do our part to push more reform efforts forward. look for points of common ground and make progress in the year ahead. we need to be able to break the

gridlock that too often stymies progress and blocks consensus on the council. we need more voices, more perspectives at the table. the united nations must continue to preserve peace, prevent conflict and alleviate human suffering and we embrace nations stepping up to lead in new ways and to seek new breakthroughs on hard issues. for example, on haiti, the caribbean community facilitied a dialogue among haitian society. i think president rudo of kenya, i thank him for his willingness to serve as the lead nation of the u.n.-backed security. i call on the security council to authorize this mission now. the united states is working across the board to make global institutions more responsive, more effective and more inclusive.

for example, we have taken significant steps to reform and scale up the world bank, expand its financing to lower and middle income countries so 2 it can help boost progress to meeting the sustainable development goals and better address interconnected challenges like climate change and fragility. under the new president of the world bank, change is already taing root. last month i asked the united states congress for additional funds of $25 billion. of the g-20, we rallied the major economies of the world to mobilize even more funding. collectively, we can deliver a transformational boost to world bank lending. and because the multilateral development banks are the best tools we have for mobilizing transparent high quality investment in developing countries, reforming these

institutions can be a game changer. similarly, we proposed making sure developing countries have a strong voice and representation at the international monetary fund. we're going to continue efforts to reform the world trade organization and preserve competition, openness, transparency, and the rule of law while at the same time equipping it to better tackle modern day imperatives like driving the clean energy transition, protecting workers, promoting inclusive and sustainable growth. in this month, we strengthen the g-20 as a vital forum welcoming the african union as a permanent member. by upgrading and strengthening our institutions, that's only half of the picture. we must also forge new partnerships, confront new challenges, emerging technologies such as artificial intelligence hold both enormous

potential and enormous peril. we need to be sure that we use the tools of opportunity, not as weapons of oppression. together with leaders around the world, the united states is working to strengthen rules and policies so a.i. technologies that are safe before they are released to the public. to make sure we govern this technology, not the other way around, having it govern us. i'm committed to working through this institution, other international bodies and directly with leaders around the world including our competitors to ensure we harness the power of a.i., artificial intelligence, for good, while protecting citizens from its most profound risks. it is going to take all of us. i've been working at this for a while as many of you have. it is going to take all of us to get this right. in every region of the world,

the united states is mobiliing strong alliances, versatile partnerships, collective action to bring new approaches to our shared challenges. here in the western hemisphere, we united 21 nations in support of the migration and protection, launching a regional wide approach to a region wide challenge to better uphold laws and protect the rights of migrants. in the indo-pacific, you elevated our quad partnership with india, japan, australia, to deliver concrete progress for the people of the region on everything from vaccines to maritime security. just yesterday after two consultations in diplomacy, the united states brought together dozens of nations across four continents to establish a new partnership for atlantic cooperation. so that the coastal atlantic

countries can better cooperate on science, technology, environmental protection, and sustainable economic development. we brought together nearly 100 countries in a global coalition to counter fentanyl and synthetic drugs to reduce the human cost of this affliction and it is real. and as a nation of the terrorist threats evolve, and the geography expands to new places, we're working with our partners to bring capabilities to bear to disrupt plotting, to great network and protect all of our people. additionally, we convene the summit for democracy to strengthen democratic institutions, root out corruption and reject political violence, and in this moment, where democratically elected governments have been toppled in quick succession in western and central africa, we're reminded that this work is as urgent and important as ever.

we stand with the african union and echo was and other regional bodies to support constitutional rule. we will not retreat from the values that make us strong. we will defend our democracy, our best tool to meet the challenges we face around the world. and we're working to show how democracy can deliver in ways that matter to people's lives. a partnership for global infrastructure and investment addresses the enormous need and opportunity for infrastructure investment for low and middle income countries, africa, latin america and southeast asia through a strategic targeted public investments we can unlock enormous amounts of private sector financing. the g-7 pledged to work with parties to collectively mobilize $600 billion in infrastructure financing by 2027. the united states mobilized $30

billion to date. we're creating a race to the top, projects that have high standards for workers, the environment, and intellectual property while avoiding the trap of unsustainable debt. we're focusing on economic corps ders, maximizing the impact of our collective investment and deliver results across multiple countries and multiple sectors. for example, we'll extend across africa, from the western port of angola to the drc to zambia, boosting regional connectivity and strengthening commerce and food security in africa. similarly, the groundbreaking effort we announced at the g-20 connecting india to europe through the uae, saudi arabia, jordan, israel. we'll spur opportunities and investment across two continents. this is part of our effort to build a more sustainable, integrated middle east. it demonstrates how israel is

greater normalization and economic connection with its neighbors is -- positive impacts even as we continue to work tirelessly to support a just and lasting peace between the israelis and palestinians, two states for two people. now, let me be clear, none of these partnerships are about containing any country. they're about a positive vision for our shared future. when it comes to china, i want to be clear and consistent. we seek to responsibly manage the competition between our countries. so it does not tip into conflict. i've said we are for derisking, not decoupling with china. we will push back on aggression and intimidation and defend the rules of the road from freedom of navigation to overflight to level economic playing field that helps safeguard security

and prosperity for decades. we also stand ready to work together with china on issues where progress hinges on our common efforts. nowhere is that more critical than accelerating the climate crisis. we see it everywhere. record-breaking heat waves in the united states and china, wildfires ravaging north america and southern europe, a fifth year of drought in the horn of africa, tragic, tragic flooding in libya. my heart goes out to the people of libya, that killed thousands of people. together, these snapshots tell an urgent story of what awaits us if we fail to reduce our dependence on fossil fuels and begin to climate proof the world. for one day, for one day my administration, the united states, has treated this crisis

as an existential threat from the moment we took office. not only for us, but for all of humanity. last year i signed into law in the united states the largest investment ever, anywhere in the history of the world, to combat the climate crisis and help move the global economy toward a clean energy future. we're also working with the congress to quadruple our climate financing, to help developing countries reach their climate goals and adapt to climate impacts. and this year, the world's on track to meet the climate -- the climate finance pledge that made under the paris agreement. $100 billion to raise collectively. we need more investment on public and private sector, especially in places that have contributed so little to global emissions but face some of the worst effects of climate change like the pacific islands.

the united states is working directly with the pacific island forum to help these nations adapt, build resilience at climate impact, even as we build new innovative new partnerships to attack the global challenges from all sides. from the first movers coalition, which is mobilizing billions of private sector community, private sector commitments to creating a market demand for products, carbon intense sectors like concrete, shipping, aviation and trucking. to the agricultural innovation mission for climate, which is bringing farmers na the climate solution and making our food supply more resilient to climate shocks. and the global methane pledge, now endorsed by more than 150 countries which expands our focus beyond our carbon emission targets to reduce the potential greenhouse gases in our atmosphere by 30% in this decade.

it is all within our capacity. we need to bring the same commitment and urgency and ambition as we work together to meet the sustainable development goals of 2030. these goals were adopted at the united nations 2015 as a road map for improving lives around the world. but the heard truth is, for decades of progress, world has lost ground the past years in the wake of covid-19, conflicts, and other crises. the united states is committing to doing its part to get us back on track. all told, in the first two years of my administration, the united states invested more than $100 billion to drive development progress and bolstering food security, expanding access to education worldwide, strengthening healthcare systems, and fighting disease. now we helped mobilize billions more in the private sector investments. but to accelerate our forward

progress on the sustainable development goals, we all have to do more. we need to build new partnerships and change the way we tackle the challenge to unlock trillions of additional financing for development, drawing on all sources. we need to fill the gaps and address the failures of our existing system exposed by the pandemic. we need to ensure that women and girls benefit fully from our progress. must also do more to grapple with it, debt that holds back so many low and middle income countries. when nations are forced to service debt payments it makes it hard for them to invest in their own futures. as we work together to recover from global shocks, the united states will also continue to be the largest single community donor, country donor of humanitarian assistance at this moment of unparalleled need in the world.

folks, cooperation, partnership, these are the keys to progress on the challenges that affect us all. and the baseline for responsible global leadership. we don't -- we don't need to agree on everything to keep moving forward on issues like arms control, a cornerstone of international security. after more than 50 years of progress under the nonproliferation treaty, russia's long-standing arms control agreements including announcing the suspension of new start. i view it as irresponsible and makes the entire world less safe. the united states is going to continue to pursue good faith efforts to reduce weapons of mass destruction and lead by example, no matter what else is happening in the world. this year we safely destroyed at

least the last chemical munitions in the u.s. stockpile, fulfilling our commitment through the world free of chemical weapons. and we condemn the dprk's continued violation of u.n. security council resolutions, but we are committed to diplomacy and bring about the denuclearization of the korean peninsula. we're working with our partners to address iran's destabilizing activities, a threat regional and global security and remain steadfast in our commitment that iran must never acquire nuclear weapon. we drive creative new partnerships, let me be clear, certain principles are sacrosanct. sovereignty, territorial integrity, human rights, these are the core tenets of the u.n. charter. the pillars of peace and relations among nations, without which it cannot achieve any of our goals.

that has not changed. and that must not change. yet for the second year in a row, this gathering dedicated to peaceful resolution of conflicts has darkened by the shadow of war. and illegal war of conquest without provocation by russia against its neighbor ukraine. the united states wants this war to end. no nation wants this war to end more than ukraine. and we strongly support ukraine in its efforts to bring about diplomatic resolution that delivers just and lasting peace. but russia alone, russia alone bears responsibility for this war. russia alone has the power to end this war immediately. and as russia alone that stands in the way of peace because of russia's quest for peace is ukraine's capitulation,

ukraine's territory, and ukraine's children. russia believes the world will grow weary and allow it to brutalize ukraine without consequence. but i ask you this, if we abandon the core principles of the united states to appease an aggressor, can any member in this body feel confident they're protected? if you allow ukraine to be carved up, is the independence of any nation secure? i respectfully suggest the answer is no. we have to stand up to this negative aggression today and deter other would be aggressors tomorrow. that's why the united states with our allies and partners around the world will continue to stand with the brave people of ukraine as they defend their sovereignty and territorial integrity and their freedom. [ applause ]

it is not only investment in ukraine's future, but in the future of every country. it seeks a world governed by basic rules that apply equally to all nations and uphold the rights of every nation, no matter how big or small. sovereignty, territorial integrity, they are the fixed foundations of this noble body. and universal human rights, the north star, we cannot sacrifice either. 75 years ago universal declaration of human rights captured a remarkable act of collective hope and i say that again, collective hope, drafted by a committee representing different regions, faiths, philosophies, and adopted by the entire general assembly. the rights contained in the

declaration are elemental and enduring. while we still struggle to uphold equal and inalienable rights of all, they remain ever steady and ever true, we cannot turn away from abuses, whether in tehran, darfur or anywhere else. we have to continue to make sure women and girls enjoy equal rights and equal participation in society. that indigenous groups, people with disabilities, do not have their potential stifled by systemic discrimination. that the lgbtqi plus people are not prosecuted or targeted with violence because of who they are. these rights are part of our shared humanity. when they're absent anywhere, their loss is felt everywhere.

they're essential to the advancement of human progress that brings us together. my fellow leaders, let me close with this, if this inflection point in history, we're going to be judged by whether or not we live up to the promises we made to ourselves, to each other, to the most vulnerable, and to all those who will inherit the world we create because that's what we're doing. will we find within ourselves the courage to do what must be done, to preserve the planet, to protect human dignity, to provide opportunity for people everywhere and to defend the tenets of the united nations? there can only be one answer to that question. we must and we will. the road ahead is long and difficult, but if we preserve,

persevere and prevail, if we keep the faith in ourselves, and show what's possible, let's do this work together. let's deliver progress for everyone. let's bend the arc of history for the good of the world. it is in our power to do it. thank you for listening. [ applause ] >> there we just heard from president biden addressing the 78th united nations general assembly. you saw volodymyr zelenskyy, the president of ukraine in the audience listening to that speech which was a powerful moment when they cut to him during the president's remarks. obviously when he spoke of russia's war on ukraine, and a world uniting to end that war against russia, specifically discussing how and i'll quote, if we allow ukraine to be carved up as the independence of any

nation is secure? we have to stand up to this negative aggression today for tomorrow is what the president just said. let me bring back all of our key important analysts here with us. nbc's andrea mitchell, evelyn farkas, and michael crowley, "new york times" diplomatic correspondent. andrea, the president addressed a lot of different things. he saved ukraine for the end, but talked about climate change, he talked about helping with developing countries to advance their infrastructure, financial systems and he spoke even about artificial intelligence in this speech. what stood out most to you? >> i think he wrapped it all together in that declaration at the end to protect the planet, protect human dignity. the opportunity for people around the world, talking about ukraine, talking about democracy, talking about the planet, and reaching out to all

peoples. i think it was a powerful speech. he's very good in these moments. that is the joe biden who has had foreign policy experience for decades, he's on a teleprompter, but with a well crafted speech. and speaking in a kind of vacuum in that the rest of the permanent members of the security council, his allies in britain, and france, are not here today and that you've got the adversaries in the collective audience, in their seats or not, lavrov from russia and raisi from iran, kim jong-un and vice premier from china not, of course, president xi, and also speaking positively about israel and the engagement of the middle east at a moment which is rather difficult with the relations with israel because prime minister netanyahu has not

gotten what they had sought and even announced, which is an oval office visit. he's meeting as all the other bilateral leaders are meeting on the outskirts at a crowded week of new york, that is a moment alone in washington, so he's not coming to d.c. on this trip. they say that will happen later this fall. but the president and the u.s. are very supportive of the engagement and approaching engagement between israel and saudi arabia even though the price is very high for the u.s. politically high because it would involve a nuclear -- civilian nuclear power reactor for saudi arabia, something the u.s. long opposed. but the payoff would be a breakthrough of major proportions, building on what president trump did with the abraham accords and the rest of the region. >> the president did say building a more integrated sustainable middle east should be a goal for the united nations. and he also talked about

connecting israel to the rest of the world. he spoke of still the goal being a two-state solution in israel. so i thought that was a noteworthy point he made. what stood out to you? >> something that is not happening because of israeli policy toward the palestinians. >> what really stood out to me was that i think president biden was making an appeal to all of the fence sitters. he started with vietnam and ended with ukraine. i don't think that was an accident. vietnam, the head of the mccain institute, john mccain was a p.o.w. and then worked with secretary kerry who was there in the audience to conduct the reconciliation between the united states and vietnam. since that point, when we have the reconciliation, which i believe was in the '80s, we have not had a big jump in the relationship until now. we now have what is called the strategic partnership. so i think president biden was taking a victory lap, but he was also saying, vietnam is not a democracy, yet we're getting closer with vietnam. why? he reminded the audience, the united nations, the

international order is based upon acceptance of boundaries, of borders, which russia has not done with ukraine, and human rights, which also russia has not done with ukraine. if you don't want to be a democracy, fine. respect the borders of your neighbors and the people in your country. that's what he saying, i think. and he's saying together we need to rally and defend ukraine against russia because russia does not respect those rules and that was a really strong argument. the other quick thing, a.i., we had a quick chat while he was talking, because it was a positive message about a.i. the president was saying, essentially, kind of maybe more to the american people in a way, because we heard a lot inside of america, we're the leaders in a.i., and social media, and tech in where social media and tech in general, we heard a lot -- >> on capitol hill, too, they came out of there saying a.i. could be the end of civilization as we know it. >> and he said, no, don't let a.i. govern us, and with united

states in the lead with all the other allies and nations interested in helping, we must work together to govern a.i. let it work for humanity and don't let it dominate us. i thought that was positive. >> and what was your take? >> my takeaway was a surprise on how little we heard on ukraine, and last year he opened on the russian invasion of ukraine and talked about it at great length, the stakes, and the need to support ukraine and rallying the world, and he didn't spend a lot of time on it. what he said was forceful. and that connects to the larger reaction to the speech, and this was a speech that really emphasized cooperation, what america is doing with countries around the world to make the

world a better place for everyone. that's the feel-good talk in one sense, but to my ears -- there were other lines in there to support this. i think what president biden was trying to do was to counter the idea that america is making the world a more dangerous place with higher food prices and inflation because of our competition with china and the war in ukraine, our confrontation with russia. when he even talked about china, he stressed we are having a managed competition. i think he used the word collective action or something similar to talk about the ways in which u.s. and china can cooperate. and he rallied the world last year to stand up to this russian

menace and defend ukraine in a bitter war, and his speech here was about bringing countries together, and advancing important issues that matter to everyone. i felt like he was deprioritizing american conflicts and competitions. the last note i would add on that, very little also on iran, where we have a huge problem with the nuclear program and there's a lot going on in the wake of that prisoner exchange, the regime is incredibly oppressive, and there was none of that today, and that struck me in the speech. >> i am being told that our team believes russia's ambassador was in the room during this speech and did not appear to applaud. i guess that is not surprising, right? that just speaks to how divided the world still is, especially

given president biden's marks that we are in this together, and our future is bound to yours and we need to make sure we are delivering for everybody and emphasize in the importance of the unity. we did see the cameras cut away to zelenskyy who will also be addressing this body at some point. do you think he was happy from what he heard from president biden? >> i think so. he probably would have liked about the whole speech to be about ukraine, and you could use ukraine to say this is going to stop china from retaking taiwan by force, and that's an argument the president and others have made. zelenskyy probably wanted to hear more about ukraine, but i think he should be happy with what he did hear. obviously he will have a chance to make his own case with congress and the american people. i do wish that we had more speeches explaining to the american people what is at

stake, because if we don't defeat putin in ukraine, and we are at risk -- i know this sounds crazy, world war iii, and we would be dragged in through nato. bad guys don't just sit and wait and let the united states do what it wants to do, because we are still the number one political and military power, and we will stand up for the rights of our allies and partners. >> as the president gets ready to meet with the leaders of the five central asian nations, kazakhstan -- what is the significance of that? >> reporter: over the course of now head into a third year, just in february, of this war in ukraine, we talked a lot about how the u.s. policy has been driven in some ways by the interest of the countries to

russia's west, and what is interesting about this meeting today is the president is in some ways opening up a new frontier by meeting with these leaders. it's the first time a u.s. president has had such a meeting with these five countries at once, and to signal an interest, as the president said, expanding throughout the world. to michael's point, it's notable, when you look at the president's speech last year in which ukraine was front and center, and the dominant more part of the speech, it was the only applause line he received throughout the speech, and administration officials tell me that's intentional, and traveling to washington, and meeting with the president there and with lawmakers on capitol

hill, zelenskyy. >> i want to bring in a democratic congressman from new york, the ranking member on the foreign affairs committee. congressman, thanks for being with us. your reaction to president biden's address to the u.n.? >> i thought it was an excellent speech. he showed he's leading the united states and the world, and that's what the world expects, bringing us altogether. the world is smaller today than five, ten, 15 years ago. in his statement, he talked about the caribbean, the asia, europe, africa, and he talked about how we need to reform the imf and the wto and the world bank, and he talked about our values and how we need to work with countries that shares the values w have, and that would make us safer.

we're not safer if we are investing in climate and saving the planet, and we have to do that together. we are not save if we are not controlling weapons, and none of us are. we are not safe if people are allowed to violate properties and take sovereign property. we have to work together. he talked about values. he talked about how, you know, we don't have to be looking for war, that we are going to derisk, and not decouple from china. it's bringing the world together. it's a leadership, i think, speech, and something the world has been crying for. i travel around the world and when i talk to leaders, they want the united states to be -- to lead, and the leader is to have all the instruments work together, you can't be a conductor if you are only worried about yourself. it's not about america alone but working with countries and sharing our values, which is

tremendously important, and strengthening our institutions and reforming, and that's what he talked about also. that's what i heard from a number of other countries, we need reform for today's world. that's extremely important. i thought it was an excellent speech. it's a speech that everybody in the audience could take back something from, and something that we can build upon to show that the united states of america will be the conductor for the world bringing us together so we can harmonize together and our values, human rights, to make sure, you know, that's still important. our values will lead and it will help us all have a better planet. >> we have about a minute left before i have to hand it over to my colleague, josé, but i want to ask you about ukraine, because the president talked about defending ukraine and standing up to the aggressors of russia, and he will meet with

zelenskyy, and zelenskyy will visit the white house, this has republicans are starting to question u.s. spending on ukraine. in fact, their latest temporarily funding for government funding doesn't mention ukraine aid or disaster relief, and is that a deal breaker for democrats? >> a deal breaker for me, for sure. this is extremely important. you can't have somebody go over and just take over sovereign property and want to keep it. we have got to stand for the long haul. we know what vladimir putin wants. he wants to try and wait this thing out, see if donald trump and the republicans can maintain control in june. he's playing the game of waiting to see if he can get his people in, so yes, it's extremely important that we make sure that we continue to support ukraine. i think overwhelmingly, the members of congress will. it's important and the world is looking at what we do. >> congressman, i appreciate you joining us. thank you so much for your time. that does it for me this