Sept. 19 (UPI) — President Joe Biden will call for more international support for Ukraine in his address to world leaders at the opening of the 78th session of the United Nations General Assembly in New York on Tuesday.
Biden plans to use the annual speech to tout recent U.S. foreign policy successes and to promote actions his administration has taken to tackle world challenges like climate change, Russia’s ongoing war in Ukraine and escalating tensions in the Far East.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky was also scheduled to speak Tuesday in his first appearance at U.N. headquarters, as Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov would be among the 40 world leaders in attendance.
Zelensky was widely expected to use the speech and other face-to-face meetings to try to persuade more fence-sitting countries to back Kyiv in its continuing struggle against Russia.
Separately, Biden will outline a plan for countries to reform and modernize their efforts to end conflicts, defend human rights and develop their economies, the White House said.
Biden views the global conference as an opportunity to advance U.S. interests on a range of issues, including sustainable infrastructure and development, cooperation on the climate crisis and increased global support for Ukraine, according to senior administration officials.
The president will seek to reaffirm America’s commitment to the broader humanitarian mission of the U.N.
Biden will be in New York through Wednesday and plans to hold several bilateral meetings on the sidelines of the gathering.
He will sit down with the presidents of five Central Asian nations — Kazakhstan, the Kyrgyz Republic, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan — as part of the so-called C5+1 presidential summit, with talks focused on climate, trade, regional security, digital connectivity and political reforms.
Biden was also scheduled to meet with U.N. Secretary-General António Guterres to discuss strengthening the U.S. partnership with the global body, which was created after World War II to promote unity among nations.
Later Tuesday, Biden will host the traditional reception, where he’ll rub elbows with government leaders from around the world before returning to the White House for the night.
On Wednesday, Biden will meet with Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva before joining a rally hosted by U.S. and Brazilian labor leaders to highlight rights for workers.
He will also sit down with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to discuss regional security issues and compare notes on ways to counter an increasingly aggressive Iran.
The U.N. conference takes place as 32 countries across four continents adopted the Declaration on Atlantic Cooperation pact, in which Atlantic coastal nations across Africa, Europe, North America, South America and the Caribbean agreed to work together on economic development, environmental protection and science and technology.
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