US President Joe Biden is heading to the United Nations General Assembly in New York. He will seek to bolster international support for Ukraine as countries from the Global South, also known as developing nations, try to draw attention to development challenges and other international crises.
WASHINGTON, DC – After making a historic visit to Vietnam and attending the G20 Summit in India a short while ago, US President Joe Biden will once again address world leaders at the United Nations General Assembly in New York. He plans to rally support for Ukraine, as he did last year.
“This war is about denying Ukraine the right to exist as a country – plain and simple – and Ukraine’s right to live as a nation,” Biden said.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy is expected to be present in New York to garner support for his country. He will also meet with Biden at the White House on Thursday (September 21).
In addition to focusing on Ukraine, Biden must also address the concerns of Global South countries, which include climate change, poverty, refugee suffering, inflation, and debt reduction.
White House National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan stated, “It’s all connected. Because the war – Russia’s brutal invasion of Ukraine – has had ripple effects on food security, energy security, and other forms of loss to countries around the world. Therefore, ending this war fairly, based on principles of sovereignty and territorial integrity, will benefit not only the people of Ukraine but people everywhere they are.”
Not wanting to fall behind Chinese President Xi Jinping, who met with Central Asian leaders earlier this year, Biden is also scheduled to hold a high-level conference with leaders from Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, and Uzbekistan.
US Ambassador to the UN Linda Thomas-Greenfield said, “We don’t see this as a competition with China for influence in these countries. We see it as an effort to build on the relationships that we already have.”
Biden will hold bilateral meetings on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly, including with the next G20 chair, Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
The US has already expressed its disagreement with the hardline policies of the Netanyahu government, including plans to overhaul Israel’s judicial system, which the opposition argues is a threat to Israeli democracy.
