At UN General Assembly, Biden Asks World to Stand by Ukraine

US President Joe Biden addresses the 78th Session of the UN General Assembly in New York City, US, September 19, 2023. (Reuters)
US President Joe Biden addresses the 78th Session of the UN General Assembly in New York City, US, September 19, 2023. (Reuters)
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At UN General Assembly, Biden Asks World to Stand by Ukraine

US President Joe Biden addresses the 78th Session of the UN General Assembly in New York City, US, September 19, 2023. (Reuters)
US President Joe Biden addresses the 78th Session of the UN General Assembly in New York City, US, September 19, 2023. (Reuters)

US President Joe Biden appealed to world leaders at the UN General Assembly on Tuesday to stand with Ukraine against Russian invaders, hoping Republicans in Congress will also take notice.

"Russia believes that the world will grow weary and allow it to brutalize Ukraine without consequence," Biden said in his speech to UNGA. "If we allow Ukraine to be carved up, is the independence of any nation secure?"

Biden's address at the annual gathering was the centerpiece event of his three-day visit to New York, which will include meetings with the heads of five Central Asian nations, and the leaders of Israel and Brazil.

Biden, a Democrat, has made rallying US allies to support Ukraine a leading component of US foreign policy, arguing the world must send a clear signal to Russian President Vladimir Putin that he will not be able to outlast the West.

Biden has faced criticism from some Republicans who want the United States to spend less money on the war effort.

Former President Donald Trump, the front-runner for the Republican nomination in the 2024 presidential election, has vowed to seek a quick end to the war if returned to power.

Trump has voiced skepticism about Washington's engagement with traditional allies, including NATO, and has been complimentary of Putin.

House of Representatives Speaker Kevin McCarthy, the leading Republican in Washington, has questioned whether the United States should keep sending billions of dollars in weaponry to Ukraine.

In his speech, Biden argued that Russia's February 2022 invasion of Ukraine and occupation of territory violated the founding UN Charter, a main principle of which is respect for sovereignty and territorial integrity.

Biden echoed remarks of UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres who in his opening speech to UNGA on Tuesday said Russia's invasion "has unleashed a nexus of horror."

A Biden administration official said Biden and US officials would also focus at the UN meetings on mobilizing resources for infrastructure and sustainable development and fighting climate change.

Solid majorities of Americans support providing weaponry to Ukraine to defend itself against Russia and believe that such aid demonstrates to China and other US rivals a will to protect US interests and allies, according to a Reuters/Ipsos survey in June.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy, due to speak at UNGA on Tuesday, was expected to visit Biden at the White House on Thursday and to meet some congressional leaders as well.

The United States is preparing a new military aid package for Ukraine to coincide with Zelenskiy's visit, and Congress has been asked to approve billions of dollars more in security assistance for the rest of the year.

"We have confidence that there will be bipartisan support for this. I think President Zelenskiy does as well," White House national security adviser Jake Sullivan told reporters.

After his speech, Biden was due to sit down with UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres to discuss world hot spots.

Later, he will attend a summit with the presidents of five Central Asian nations, a first. They are Kazakhstan, the Kyrgyz Republic, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan.

On Wednesday, Biden will meet Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva and join him in an event with labor leaders from Brazil and the United States.

Also on Wednesday, Biden will have his first face-to-face meeting with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu since Netanyahu regained power last December.

Sullivan said they would discuss "a vision for a more stable and prosperous and integrated region, as well as to compare notes on effectively countering and deterring Iran."



China, Iran, Russia Kick Off Talks in Beijing on Iran's Nuclear Issues

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China, Iran, Russia Kick Off Talks in Beijing on Iran's Nuclear Issues

Senior diplomats from Iran, Russia and China gathered in Beijing on Friday for talks on Tehran's nuclear issues, Chinese state broadcaster CCTV reported, days after Tehran rejected US "orders" to resume dialogue over the Iranian nuclear program.
In 2015, Iran reached a deal with the United States, Russia, China, Britain, France and Germany and agreed to curb its nuclear program in exchange for the lifting of international sanctions. But in 2018, Donald Trump, a year into his first term as US president, pulled out of the pact, Reuters reported.
Last week, Trump said he had sent a letter to Iranian Supreme leader Ali Khamenei proposing nuclear talks, adding that "there are two ways Iran can be handled: militarily, or you make a deal".
Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian responded that he would not negotiate with the US while being "threatened", and Iran would not bow to US "orders" to talk.
Iran was further enraged after six of the United Nations Security Council's 15 members - the US, France, Greece, Panama, South Korea and Britain - held a closed-door meeting this week to discuss its nuclear program. Tehran said the meeting was a "misuse" of the UN Security Council.
In the run-up to the Beijing talks on Friday - attended by the vice foreign ministers of China, Russia and Iran - China said it hoped the trilateral meeting would help create "conditions" for the early resumption of dialogue and negotiations.
Iran has long denied that it is working on developing a nuclear weapon. But the International Atomic Energy Agency warned last month that Tehran was "dramatically" accelerating enrichment of uranium to near the roughly 90% weapons-grade level.