Yury Kobzar17:57, 19.09.23

The US President devoted a significant part of his speech to the topic of the war in Ukraine.

US President Joe Biden spoke at the 78th session of the UN General Assembly in New York. The central theme of the speech is the need for further support for Ukraine and the unacceptability of concessions to the aggressor.

In his speech, the US president called on leaders to resist Russia’s “overt aggression” and warned of dire consequences if they fail to do so. 

“Russia believes that the world will tire and allow it to brutalize Ukraine without consequences. But I ask you this: if we abandon the basic principles of the UN Charter to appease an aggressor, can any member state feel confident that it secure? If we allow Ukraine to be divided, will the independence of any nation be secure?” – he said.

“The answer is no. We must confront this open aggression today to deter other potential aggressors tomorrow,” Biden said.

According to him, Russia is making “the whole world less safe.” 

“After more than 50 years of progress under the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty, Russia is ending long-standing arms control agreements. The United States is going to continue to make good faith efforts to reduce the threat of weapons of mass destruction and lead by example no matter what else is happening in the world.” – he said.

In addition, the US President touched upon other important issues on the global agenda. In particular, he called for “breaking the UN deadlock” by expanding the membership of the Security Council.

“We need more voices, more perspectives at the table… The UN must continue to preserve peace, prevent conflict and alleviate human suffering,” he said.

He also noted that the United States seeks to “responsibly manage” competition between the United States and China so that it does not escalate into conflict.

“We are for risk reduction, not separation from China. We will fight back against aggression and intimidation and defend the rules. But we are also willing to work with China on issues where progress depends on our joint efforts,” he said.

In addition, Biden defended democracy in the world after a series of coups in West and Central Africa.

“We will not give up on the values ​​that make us strong. We will defend democracy, our best tool for solving the problems we face around the world,” he said.

UN General Assembly – latest news

As UNIAN wrote, this week the next session of the UN General Assembly will take place in New York, which Ukrainian President Vladimir Zelensky and his American colleague Joe Biden will try to use to expand international support for Kyiv. However, as the Washington Post writes , they will face stiff resistance from the countries of the Global South, which simply seek an immediate end to the war at any cost.

As part of these plans, President Zelensky should meet with his Brazilian counterpart, who has previously repeatedly made loud and scandalous statements in an attempt to encourage Kiev and Moscow to engage in direct peace negotiations.

(C)UNIAN 2023