A reporter noted Biden made a statement during his 2020 campaign that he wanted to be a "bridge" candidate to help usher in a younger generation of Democratic leaders.

"I wanted to know --what changed?" she asked.

"What changed was the gravity of the situation I inherited, in terms of the economy, our foreign policy and domestic division," Biden responded.

"What I realized was my long time in the Senate equipped me to have the wisdom to how to deal with Congress and get things done," he continued. "We got more major legislation passed that no one thought would happen and I want to get that finished."

Asked what his strategy is to interrupt the partnership between China and Russia and if he would be able to negotiate with Xi and Putin, Biden said he has "spent more time with XI Jinping than any world leader has."

"We have to make it clear and China has to understand that if they are supplying Russia with information and capacity, along with working with North Korea and others to help Russia, that they are not going to benefit economically as a consequence of that by getting the kind of investment they are looking for," he said.

Biden added that after the Chinese "spy balloon" incident the U.S. and Chinese militaries have "direct access" to one other and "we contact one another."

Journalists at Biden's news conference charged from the gate with questions about his health, showing no hesitation at tackling the issue head-on.

The first five questioners all asked something about his health - some by itself, some embedded in questions about other things.

Finally, 15 minutes in, a reporter - a non-American - asked about European concerns if Donald Trump were to resume the presidency.

For his part, Biden answered some of the health questions emphatically but, on others, shifted the answers to focusing on the economy, the success of the NATO conference and other non-health-related topics.

Biden was asked if he will be able to deal with Russia's Vladimir Putin and China's Xi Jinping in two or three years from now, should he be reelected.

"I'm ready to deal with them now and three years from now," he said.

He said he is dealing with Xi right now and that he has "no good reason" to speak with Putin right now.

"There isn't any world leader I'm not prepared to deal with," Biden said.