Addressing the United Nations General Assembly on Tuesday, US President Joe Biden is expected to once again denounce Russia’s invasion of Ukraine as a violation of the fundamental principles of the United Nations Charter – the ban clear to seize the territory of another country by force.
“The president will absolutely reaffirm our attachment to the values of the charter. And that includes the sovereignty and territorial integrity of all countries, including Ukraine,” a senior administration official told VOA Monday during a briefing to preview Biden’s speech.
Leaders from at least 145 countries are expected to attend the UNGA’s annual meeting this week in New York, with a few notable exceptions: France, the United Kingdom, China and Russia will be represented by their senior officials. This means that the United States is the only permanent member of the UN Security Council whose top leader will be present.
This will be the second time Biden will condemn Russia’s “brutal and senseless” war against Ukraine at the world body. Last September, in his first speech to the UNGA since the invasion, Biden accused Russia, a permanent member of the UN Security Council, of trying to “wipe a sovereign state off the map.”
Last year, more than 140 UN member countries supported a General Assembly resolution condemning Russian aggression against Ukraine.
But as the protracted conflict continues to weigh on global energy and food prices, low- and middle-income countries, often clustered in the South, are increasingly calling for speeding up peace negotiations between Moscow and Kiev.
As part of Ukraine’s diplomatic efforts towards the Global South, it supported the largest peace initiative ever launched by Saudi Arabia, which in August hosted senior officials from around 40 countries, including the United States, China, India, but not Russia, to work towards a broad peace agreement. key principles for a peaceful end to the war.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy will have the opportunity to make his own case on Tuesday, addressing the General Assembly directly. It will be his first appearance in person before the world body since the Russian invasion.
Biden is also expected to talk about US efforts to mobilize resources for global infrastructure projects, combat the climate crisis and reform the UN and other international institutions to make them more “inclusive, accessible and representative”, the senior administration official said.
Anita Powell contributed to this report.
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