In a commencement address at the U.S. Naval Academy on Friday, President Joe Biden told graduates they were joining the “finest military in the history of the world” and that the nation was counting on them to lift up America’s democratic values and “preserve stability” on the global stage, just as Russia’s invasion into Ukraine stretches into its fourth month.

“Not only is [Vladimir Putin] trying to take over Ukraine, he's really trying to wipe out the culture and identity of Ukrainian people,” Biden said in Annapolis, Md., on Friday. “A direct assault on the fundamental tenets of rule-based international order. That's what you're graduating into.”

Biden told midshipmen they were joining the “finest military” in the world, reminding them that he would soon be their commander-in-chief. 

“You have earned it. Congratulations,” he said. “I've seen you in action. This is the finest military. Not a joke. We have the finest military in the history of the world.”

Joining that military comes with a unique responsibility to uphold America’s democratic values, the president said, amid a “global struggle between autocracies and democracies.” 

“All of this is illustrated from a foreign policy that was built around the power of working together with allies and partners — to amplify our strength, to solve problems, to project our power beyond what we can do alone and to preserve stability in an uncertain world,” he summarized.

“This is a work that will be asked of you,” he told graduates.

While U.S. soldiers are not fighting in Ukraine, President Biden has authorized nearly $4 billion in weapons and other military aid since the Russian invasion began. The U.S. also has 100,000 troops stationed around Europe.

And the invasion has sparked a renewed unity among European and Western countries and others around the world, the president said. 

“We're seeing the world align, not in terms of geography — East and West, Pacific and Atlantic — but in terms of values,” he told the U.S. Naval Academy graduating class.