UN General Assembly gets underway; Trump meets Macron and Zelensky. Xi’s state visit on Thursday

NEW YORK – The 81st UN General Assembly opens its debate, finding itself sidelined by its own powerlessness in the face of wars and unresolved crises – from Iran to Ukraine and the Palestinian tragedy in Gaza and the West Bank. And with US President Donald Trump set to address delegations from 193 countries today at the start of the UN’s high-level week, he remains more committed than ever to the unilateralism of ‘America First’.

One of the conflicts – the situation in Ukraine – dominated the opening proceedings. Ahead of his informal meeting today with President Volodymyr Zelensky, Trump has hinted at a call for de-escalation and an end to attacks on the Russian invader’s energy infrastructure, citing the global shock caused by rising petrol and diesel prices. “The war between Russia and Ukraine is by far the most difficult conflict,” admitted Vice-President JD Vance, whilst expressing hope for “progress”, which he described as “a matter of time”.

Ukraine has also been the subject of a face-to-face meeting between Trump and the French leader Emmanuel Macron, with Europe pressing for greater US support. Macron said he wished to speak to Trump ‘frankly to steer him towards the right decisions’ regarding support for Kyiv. Trump will also meet the new British Prime Minister, Andy Burnham, today.

But the President’s visit to the UN in New York actually began against a backdrop of domestic – and not just international – controversies: the consortium of TV networks covering White House events suspended its coverage in protest against the President’s latest attack on press freedom – the banning of CNN, along with MS Now and Politico, on the grounds that they spread ‘fake news’. This did not deter Trump: in the afternoon, perhaps in search of unlikely support, he met with the city’s progressive, Muslim mayor, Zohran Mamdami, with whom he has so far maintained cordial relations despite their many differences.

Later that evening, the spotlight was once again on Trump-style diplomacy: he hosted a reception at his Trump Tower, according to the US Ambassador to the UN, Mike Waltz, to assert the administration’s strength and the objective of yet another conflict – this one sparked by Trump and now in its seventh month – which is to prevent Tehran from acquiring nuclear weapons. The President will also take part in a summit of the Gulf Cooperation Council in the coming hours, whilst Yemen’s Houthis, allies of Iran, are stepping up their attacks on Saudi Arabia. Finally, Trump will hold his first face-to-face meeting with Venezuela’s new leader, Delcy Rodriguez, who was installed following US military intervention.