As he finished a lifeless reading of a dreary Monday speech to the Business Roundtable, President Biden switched topics to give a brief overview of the world situation. Apparently without notes, he began by citing the liberal world order that grew out of the two world wars and said now “we are at an inflection point . . . and there’s going to be a new world order out there, and we’ve got to lead it. We’ve got to unite the rest of the free world in doing it.”

Hmmm, count me among the confused.

Although Biden’s obviously right that a global shake-up is happening, he’s given every impression that he’s most comfortable leading from behind, which is to say not leading at all.

He was a reluctant participant in the first round of economic sanctions against Russia, had to play catch-up to match more aggressive actions by European nations and still imposes too much restraint on military assistance to Ukraine.

Similarly, his domestic policies on energy already are making America more vulnerable to the whims of Russia and other adversaries, hardly an ideal position for an ostensible leader of the free world.

War at stalemate

Still, let’s take Biden at his word about what he wants to do — for the next 48 hours or so. By then he will have had the chance to show he means what he said about leading a new world order and uniting Europe behind him.

His NATO meetings in Brussels and Poland that start today come a month after Russia’s invasion. If he’s true to his rhetoric, Biden will coax, cajole and demand that America’s allies join him in tipping the outcome toward a Ukrainian victory.

That’s what the leader of a free world would do. It’s what Biden must do.

That such an opportunity even exists reflects the heroic tenacity of both the Ukrainian military and the nation’s suffering people, coupled with the poor performance of Vladimir Putin’s army. When the invasion started, there was a universal belief that it wouldn’t take long for Putin to get anything he wanted.

But thanks also to western assistance, the war has become something of a stalemate, with Russian forces unable to take the capital, Kyiv, or other major cities. They have suffered large losses of men, equipment and reportedly even five generals.

Yet Ukraine has paid dearly, with huge loss of life, vast swaths of unimaginable destruction and with more than 3 million desperate people having fled the country or trying to.

Go for the win

So while Putin has failed to triumph, he is nonetheless destroying Ukraine. That can’t be allowed to continue endlessly and Biden must change the mindset of NATO and demand sufficient aid to let Ukraine do more than just survive the medieval pounding of Putin’s war machine.

The underdog must have the ability to achieve a clear victory.

As Winston Churchill famously said in the dark winter of 1941 in his appeal to FDR for help against Hitler, “Give us the tools, and we will finish the job.”

That’s where Ukraine is today, with charismatic President Volodymyr Zelensky often compared to Churchill.

Enough of the half-measures, of sanctions against Russia that exempt major banks and energy markets and of weapons transfers to Ukraine that only keep the war going. It’s time to go for the win, not the tie.

That’s not a call for direct involvement of American troops, and Biden is right to resist calls from Zelensky to impose a no-fly zone. Either move would inevitably put Americans and Russians in direct military conflict, possibly igniting a nuclear World War III.

But the president’s continuing refusal to let Poland supply its 28 unused MiG fighter jets is a good example of restraint that makes no sense. His claim that the move would be escalatory because the jets could be seen as offensive weapons simply doesn’t hold water.

The planes would be flown by Ukrainian pilots over their country to defend it against Russian attacks. In that sense, the jets are not fundamentally different from other weapons, such as anti-aircraft Stingers that NATO is supplying by the thousands.

To be sure, there are also potentially catastrophic outcomes that only Putin controls. Biden, for example, has warned repeatedly he thinks the Russian madman will use biological or chemical weapons, and many expert observers believe it likely he will use a small nuclear weapon if he feels cornered.

Error could be costly

Most think such a weapon might be used as a test over water somewhere to send a warning that Putin is willing to use a small nuke against Ukraine. Others believe he will skip the demonstration and that we could wake up one morning and learn that an enormous blast in a Ukrainian city was followed by massive readings of ­radiation.

As it was with his use of the hypersonic missile, Putin’s overall aim is to strike fear in Ukraine and deter its supporters from getting more deeply involved. His conduct already has led to charges he is a war criminal, so from one perspective, he has nothing to lose. Indeed, his rule and his life might be in jeopardy if his military has to retreat.

There is also the fact that everyone remains unclear about Putin’s real objective. Does he want all of Ukraine, or just the Black Sea city of Odessa and a land-bridge to Russia through Crimea? Has the war’s difficulty changed his objective and what he would settle for?

All of these are important considerations and a mistake or a misreading of his intent could produce the worst possible result. But the one clear thing is that the considerable damage inflicted on Putin so far hasn’t stopped him.

That’s why there’s no sense in Biden going to Europe if he’s just going to craft a plan that only allows the bloody stalemate to continue. If he won’t push for victory, better he retreat to his Delaware basement than merely pretend to be the leader of a new world order.

Plaza hero sums up NY

The quote of the week about the state of the city comes from Neil Johnson, a doorman at The Plaza hotel.

He rushed to the scene when an adult man “sucker-punched” a 9-year-old girl near the hotel Monday morning and helped hold the assailant until cops arrived. The victim lives in Miami and was visiting the city with her mother.

“That little girl is never going to want to come to New York City ever again,” Johnson told The Post. “She’s not going to be OK. She’s traumatized. Can you imagine?”

Times laptop flop

Reader Barry Shain offers a twist about why The New York Times now admits some of Hunter Biden’s e-mails are authentic. He writes: “One of your readers suggested the about-face on the laptop is a sign the Times is not supporting a second term for Biden.

“When I shared this with my wife, she added her conclusion: ‘Hillary is running again.’ ”