Ukraine to dominate UN General Assembly amid geopolitical divide

ALJAZEERA:

Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and a global food crisis aggravated by the war will be the focus of world leaders when they convene at the United Nations in New York this week, a gathering that is unlikely to yield any progress towards ending the conflict.

“It would be naive to think that we are close to the possibility of a peace deal,” said UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres on Saturday in advance of the high-level meeting of the 193 member states, which starts on Tuesday.

“The chances of a peace deal are minimal at the present moment.”

Geopolitical divides, hardened by the seven-month-old war, are likely to be on full display as the United States and Western allies compete with Russia for diplomatic influence.

Moreover, the US ambassador to the UN, Linda Thomas-Greenfield, said there are no plans to meet Russian diplomats.

“They have not indicated that they have an interest in diplomacy. What they are interested in is continuing to raise this unprovoked war on Ukraine,” said Thomas-Greenfield.

She added while the war in Ukraine will be discussed, “we cannot ignore the rest of the world”.

Guterres said the geopolitical rifts were “the widest they have been since at least the Cold War” and “paralyzing the global response to the dramatic challenges we face” highlighting conflicts, climate, poverty, hunger, and inequality.