Ukraine gives way to other concerns at UN General Assembly

The 77th session of the United Nations General Assembly. Photo: AP

Some of these are longstanding issues with global implications that have recently receded from public attention. The Israeli prime minister called for the creation of a Palestinian state in a speech on September 22, focusing on the conflict between the two neighbors. The Palestinian president also spoke on September 23.

Other issues include flare-ups in regional conflicts. Armenia’s prime minister has warned that “the risk of further aggression by Azerbaijan remains high” after the two rivals reached their highest level of hostilities in two years. The former Soviet states are also locked in a conflict over Nagorno-Karabakh, which is part of Azerbaijan but has been controlled by ethnic Armenian-backed forces since a separatist war there ended in 1994.

Meanwhile, leaders from Iraq and Pakistan also spoke on September 23. Both countries play a crucial role in the world geopolitical order but have received less attention from the international community in recent years.

The annual gathering of leaders at the United Nations General Assembly provides an opportunity for each country to express its concerns and to articulate its hopes. This year’s gathering has so far focused largely on the Russia-Ukraine conflict, which some countries have said has upended the geopolitical order, repeatedly raised the specter of nuclear disaster and sparked food and energy crises.

Russia and Ukraine also had a face-to-face meeting on September 22 at a Security Council meeting, in which the top diplomats of these countries were present in the same room, making accusations and criticisms, although not directly directed at the other side.

At the meeting, the US also called on other countries to ask Russia to stop making nuclear threats and end the “terror” of its war. Moscow reiterated its repeated claim that Kiev has long suppressed Russian speakers in eastern Ukraine - this is one of the reasons why Mr. Putin’s government decided to launch a special military operation.

The Security Council meeting came a day after Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, in a video address to leaders, asserted that his forces would win the war and demanded stronger action from the United States.

Meanwhile, in the hall, Israeli Prime Minister Yair Lapid gave a speech focusing on the Palestinian issue. The speech, ahead of the November 1 elections, appeared to be part of Mr. Lapid’s effort to portray himself in the eyes of voters and global leaders as a statesman and a moderate alternative to his main rival, hard-line former Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

But he has been short on details, and there is little chance that Lapid, who has long supported a two-state solution, will be able to further develop his vision. The Israeli parliament is dominated by parties opposed to Palestinian independence, and opinion polls predict similar results after the upcoming election.

Palestinians want to establish an independent state in territories captured by Israel in 1967, including the West Bank, East Jerusalem and the Gaza Strip. This view is widely supported by the international community.