Acknowledging that "these conflicts can seem far away," Biden insisted in a rare Oval Office address that they remain "vital for America's national security," and said he will ask Congress for billions of dollars in military assistance for both countries.

"History has taught us when terrorists don't pay a price for their terror, when dictators don't pay a price for their aggression, they cause more chaos and death and more destruction," Biden said. "They keep going. And the cost and the threat to America and the world keep rising."

Speech begins at 42:16: