NEW YORK: The global South is fighting to prevent famine and the existential threats of the climate crisis, but this week's United Nations General Assembly summit will see a battle between the US and its clamor for global support over Ukraine's fate. There will be dominance. Allies on the one hand and Russia on the other.
The president and prime minister will resume normal debate entirely in person, and many of them will travel directly from London, where diplomatic talks began during the Queen's funeral.
Russia is currently losing ground on the battlefield and in the struggle for worldwide public opinion regarding the future of Ukraine. Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelensky was given permission by the General Assembly by a vote of 101-7 to deliver a pre-recorded video address with 19 abstentions, with the requirement that speakers must be present in person.
India, a steadfast ally of Moscow, which has a history of voting against Ukraine's proposals, supported Zelensky. When they appeared together at a regional Asia summit in Uzbekistan, India's Prime Minister Narendra Modi publicly rebuked Russian President Vladimir Putin, saying "today is not a time for war." In line with what he said about China a day earlier, Putin said he was aware of Indian "concerns".
As mass graves are found after the Russian withdrawal from the Ukrainian city of Izium, the week-long general assembly session of the United Nations gets underway.
Zelensky and Joe Biden's speeches on Wednesday are likely to focus on war crimes, and the UN Security Council to discuss accountability for war crimes in Ukraine, with French Foreign Minister Catherine Colonna as the moderator, followed a ministerial Thursday morning will hold the meeting.
The US representative to the United Nations, Linda Thomas-Greenfield, said the Russians "should expect that it will not be business as usual when they arrive in New York tomorrow."
"He will be kept in isolation. He will be severely criticized in the General Assembly as well as the Security Council," he told CNN.
Despite widespread support at the United Nations General Assembly for Ukraine's plight in the event of a Russian invasion, developing countries have expressed displeasure that the conflict has stymied dialogue and action on the parallel food and climate crises that lead to mass migration in developing countries. and pose a threat of starvation. World. In the Security Council and the General Assembly, Ukraine has pushed for more resolutions condemning Russia, but its Western supporters have cautioned against the possibility that a dwindling number in favor of such resolutions could become the focus.
We have worked hard to make it clear that we are talking about issues that affect them in their own right, said a European diplomat at the United Nations. "There has been an ebb and flow of interest and engagement from countries not directly affected by Ukraine," the diplomat said.
Biden will chair a summit on food security on Tuesday, and US officials have indicated Washington is open to discussions about reforming UN bodies such as the Security Council.
The summit on food security will be used by Western member states to draw attention to the relationship between the Russian invasion and the world's food shortage.
When it is appropriate to link the two, the European diplomat said, "it is useful because it prevents Ukraine from being seen as a European problem that doesn't really matter."
Africa has seen a propaganda war between Russia and the West, which blames grain shortages due to the suspension of exports from Ukrainian Black Sea ports.
Russia's foreign minister, Sergei Lavrov, is traveling across Africa, highlighting his support for decolonization movements, portraying his country as a victim of Western imperialist conflict.
The US has abandoned its two-pronged approach to reforming UN institutions such as the Security Council to make them more representative in an effort to increase its support in the General Assembly.
"We do not believe that the United States should defend the old status quo," Michelle Sisson, US Assistant Secretary of State for International Organizational Affairs, said on Friday regarding council reform.
We will issue a solemn call to nations to seek credible, practical proposals for the way forward, even as we are aware of the obstacles to Security Council reform,” Sisson said. should reflect more accurately and take into account regional perspectives to maintain credibility in the twenty-first century."
Russia and China will veto any competing plans to change the structure of the Security Council, so any change in US policy is unlikely to result in any real change. Its main goal is to isolate Moscow and Beijing as the custodians of the status quo.
French foreign minister has urged Iran to accept the nuclear deal
Kremlin: Ukraine Sets Up Provocation of Bucha Scenario in Izyum
Pelosi denounces the "illegal" attacks on Armenia by Azerbaijan