Night at the Museum as Zelenskyy makes his pitch

Sep 25, 2024

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Good morning from New York where the traffic gridlock in Manhattan has reached new heights as the high-level of the week of the U.N. General Assembly gets into full swing.

Today’s main social event is a glitzy reception for world leaders at the Metropolitan Museum of Art on the Upper East Side hosted by U.S President Joe Biden. Not everyone will make it however. An emergency meeting of the U.N. Security Council has been scheduled for 6 p.m., with Lebanese Prime Minister Najib Mikati expected to plead for help as the crisis in his country worsens and Israel announcing overnight that Hezbollah targeted Tel Aviv with a ballistic missile.

Talk of the town: The intervention by U.K. Foreign Secretary David Lammy at Tuesday’s Security Council meeting was one of the most talked-about around U.N. headquarters. Britain’s top foreign policy chief, making his first appearance at U.N. high-level week as foreign secretary, excoriated Russia.
"I speak not only as a Briton, as a Londoner, and as a foreign secretary ... I stand here also as a Black man whose ancestors were taken in chains from Africa at the barrel of a gun to be enslaved, whose ancestors rose up and fought in a great rebellion of the enslaved. I know imperialism when I see it, and I will call it out for what it is."

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Zelenskyy to address General Assembly: Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, who made a relatively brief intervention at Tuesday’s Security Council meeting, will deliver an address to the General Assembly today. After that, he will head to Washington for meetings at the White House and Capitol Hill, where he is poised to unveil his victory plan.

PLAYBOOK INTERVIEW

SUPPORTING UKRAINE: As Zelenskyy continues to push for the green light to use Western-supplied weapons inside Russia, Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen is clear about what Ukraine’s Western allies need to do — give Ukraine the weapons it needs to win the war.
“I don’t think Ukraine will be able to win this war unless we give them something more powerful, which means lifting restrictions and giving them the long-range missiles,” Frederiksen said in an interview with Global Playbook.“It has to be according to international law … but that is a shift that is needed.”

Background: Denmark has been a strong supporter of Ukraine within the EU and NATO, providing Kyiv with F-16s and investing in Ukraine’s own defense industry. The small country of 6 million people is also about to step into a more prominent role in international affairs as it prepares to assume a two-year stint on the United Nations Security Council (a period that will overlap with its six-month stint running Council of the EU meetings in Brussels in 2025).

Blasting Beijing: Frederiksen, who was tipped last year as a possible successor to NATO chief Jens Stoltenberg, was also clear about the responsibility of all global players when it comes to Russia’s behavior — aiming her fire at China.

“I don’t think it would be possible for Russia to have a full-scale war for more than two and a half years now without help from China,” she said. “We cannot continue a situation where China helps Russia in a war … in Europe, without consequences. They have to be held responsible for their activities.”

Trade wars loom: The prime minister was also blunt about the need for Europe to diversify from Beijing. “I think we need to be less dependent on China,” she said. “Dependency is always a mistake when you find out that you don’t always share the same values and interests … “I think Europe always tries to play by the rules but when you find out that someone else is not doing it, then you have to be able to react.”

De-risking from China: Her hawkish comments come as Europe continues to flip-flop about how to respond to China, amid pressure from the United States to do more to confront Beijing. Some of Europe’s biggest economies are reluctant to jeopardize lucrative trade with China. Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez is the latest European leader to visit Beijing, meeting Xi Jinping earlier this month.

Prepping for peace: Frederiksen said she's keen to hear about Zelenskyy's victory plan, noting that "none of us in Europe have asked for war." But she warns about Russian's intentions, particularly given talk about Ukraine having to give up land. “Do you really believe that Russia would just say, OK, thank you, and then do nothing else? I don’t. We need to push Russia one day to negotiate on peace, but it has to be driven by a wish for Russia to actually have peace."

CHINA'S PRESENCE

SPEAKING OF CHINA … U.S. President Joe Biden took a relatively softly-softly approach to Beijing in his speech to the General Assembly Tuesday, stating that he sought to “responsibly seek to manage the competition with China so it does not veer into conflict” and stressing that America’s alliances across the Indo-Pacific “are not against any nation.” His comments come a few days after he was caught on hot-mic warning that China was “testing us.”

Beijing goes big: China has sent its usual bevvy of diplomats to the annual U.N. gathering this year, with Foreign Minister Wang Yi leading the delegation. He’ll deliver the PRC’s speech on Saturday, and is also attending BRICS meetings and today’s G20 foreign ministers’ meeting.

The U.N.’s China problem. As Robbie Gramer and Eric Bazail-Eimil report, China, along with Russia, has been blocking actions that were once seen as routine at the United Nations — most recently, the creation of a new U.N. treaty on crimes against humanity, and the establishment of a U.N. peacekeeping operation in Haiti.

Happy days: Chinese leader Xi did give his stamp of approval to the Global Digital Compact adopted Sunday as an annex to the Pact for the Future, Phelim Kine reported. The compact echoes “the visions of China’s Global Development Initiative and Global Civilization Initiative,” Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Lin Jian said Monday.

Not mentioned by Lin: China’s authoritarian chokehold on its internet, which is wildly at odds with the compact’s requirement that countries “refrain from imposing restrictions on the free flow of information and ideas.” Back in May the news platform Devex reported that China made an unsuccessful diplomatic push to insert language into the deal aimed “to promote greater state control over the internet … while straining to secure access to advanced Western technology and chip away at human rights protections for civil society.”

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GOING GREEN

CLIMATE PEEPS HIT NYC: It’s been a big week in the climate world here in New York with thousands of activists, corporates and campaigners flocking to Manhattan for New York Climate Week, a weeklong program of events that coincides with the meeting of the United Nations General Assembly.

U.N. steps in: Today, the United Nations will turn its focus to the climate crisis as it holds a special session on rising sea levels — an issue that is threatening the very survival of many small island states. It comes a few days after the U.N. agreed a Pact for the Future that doubled down on commitments made at last year’s COP summit in Dubai.

Hear our voice: Speaking at the Bloomberg renewable energy event at the Plaza Hotel Tuesday, Mia Mottley, the prime minister of Barbados, set out what’s at stake for small island nations, reported Sara Schonhardt. “We are often ignored because our scale is simply too small. But may I remind you that small can also be dangerous,” said Mottley, who has become one of the most significant voices on the climate crisis at international forums like the U.N.

Lula speaks: With Brazil holding the presidency of the G20 and preparing to host next year’s COP climate change summit, the climate crisis featured heavily in Brazilian President Luiz Inácio da Silva’s speech to the General Assembly Tuesday. (Brazil traditionally delivers the opening speech in high-level week.)

Lula said Brazil would come forward this year with a new national climate target that aligns with the goal of limiting global temperature rise to 1.5 degrees Celsius, Sara reported. The Brazilian leader also called out countries for the slow pace of decarbonization (though the glaring irony that Brazil remains one of the world’s biggest oil producers was not lost on many green campaigners).

AROUND TOWN

NEW KIDS ON THE BLOCK: Iran’s new president, Masoud Pezeshkian, is not the only one making his debut this week at the U.N. France’s Jean-Noël Barrot had barely been announced as new French foreign minister on Saturday, when he flew to New York to deliver France’s address to the Summit of the Future. In a reminder of the heft still wielded by France in the U.N., it was Barrot who pushed for the scheduling of this evening’s Security Council meeting on Lebanon.

SHARING THOUGHTS Someone else who has a new title is Theresa May. The former prime minister took her seat in the House of Lords earlier this month where she accepted the title of baroness May of Maidenhead. Yesterday she shared her insights into the fight against modern slavery with fellow members of Concordia's Leadership Council at a Calamos reception at the Rockefeller Center.

POWER WALKING: With traffic at a standstill through wide swaths of Manhattan, and gridlock even worse due to the presence of POTUS criss-crossing through town, several world leaders have abandoned the vehicle and taken to the streets by foot as they rush to meetings.

PALESTINIAN PROTESTS: The Japanese delegation staying at the Prince Kitano Hotel just south of Grand Central Terminal found themselves at the center of it all as a group of demonstrators shouting "Free Palestine" followed by hordes of police on bikes marched along 39th street last night bringing the traffic outside to a standstill.

MEET AND GREETS

MUSK MEETS MILEI: Argentinian leader Javier Milei used his first speech to the U.N. General Assembly to blast the Pact of the Future agreed Sunday, slamming the document (which Argentina backed) as “socialist.” The fiery libertarian has been busy since arriving in New York, ringing the opening bell at the New York Stock Exchange and holding a one-on-one with his fellow libertarian Elon Musk.

LONDON MAYOR BLASTS TRUMP: Sadiq Khan didn’t hold back in an interview with POLITICO, urging Americans to vote for Kamala Harris in November’s election.

“What I’d say in a respectful way to Americans is: I don’t think you realize that the rest of the world is watching because we’ve got skin in the game,” he told Emily Ngo. The London mayor has made no secret of his feelings toward Donald Trump, branding him a racist, sexist homophobe. Trump memorably called the mayor a “stone-cold loser” in 2019.

MODI TALKS TECH: Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi has also been busy tapping into the vibrant Indian-U.S. tech scene meeting with tech wunderkinds like Google chief Sundar Pichai; Shantanu Narayen, head of Adobe; and Arvind Krishna, chief executive of IBM at the Lotte New York Palace Hotel.

BIDEN DINES IN UPPER EAST SIDE: Diners at Sistina, an Italian restaurant on the Upper East Side, were treated to a presidential visit last night, as the U.S. president, his wife Jill and their granddaughter Finnegan met for dinner.

AGENDA

— High-level general debate of the United Nations General Assembly, 9 a.m. Speakers include: Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, French President Emmanuel Macron, Nana Akufo-Addo, president of Ghana; Wavel Ramkalawan, president of the Seychelles.

— G20 foreign ministers meeting, 9 a.m., Economic and Social Council Chamber, U.N. Headquarters.

— High-level plenary meeting of the General Assembly on “Addressing the Existential Threats posed by Sea Level Rise,” 10 a.m.

— U.N. Security Council meeting on "Maintenance of International Peace and Security," 11 a.m, Security Council chamber. Speakers include U.N. Secretary-General António Guterres; Ellen Johnson Sirleaf, former president of Liberia and member of The Elders; Mirjana Spoljaric Egger, president of the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC).

—`U.N. Security Council meeting on the Middle East, 6 p.m, Security Council chamber.

— "The Cost of Inaction: Urgent and collective support to scale up the humanitarian response in Sudan and the region,” co-hosted by Saudi Arabia, Egypt, the United States, the African Union, the European Union and the United Nations, 10 a.m- 12 p.m., Conference Room 4, U.N. Headquarters.

— Roundtable on the Importance of Human Rights in Climate Action, Carnegie Corporation, 8-9 a.m. Hosted by President of Carnegie Corporation Louise Richardson, Aurora Humanitarian Initiative and The B Team.

— The 20th Anniversary of the NATO Istanbul Cooperation Initiative, 2 p.m., West Terrace of the Delegates Dining Room, U.N. Headquarters. Speakers include Kuwait's Crown Prince Sheikh Sabah Khaled Al-Sabah and NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg.

— “Africa at the Forefront of Global Financing Solutions,” 3:30 p.m, ONE Foundation, The Rockefeller Foundation NYC Headquarters. It will be followed by a reception marking the 20th anniversary of ONE.

— “The Future Can't Wait” summit hosted by DEVEX, 9 a.m., NeueHouse, Madison Square.

— “Economic Injustice, Social Unrest, and the Erosion of Democracy,” hosted by Human Rights Watch and Club de Madrid, 6:30 p.m., Human Rights Watch Headquarters, Empire State Building.

— Ministerial meeting on Sudan, co-hosted by the U.S., EU, France and Germany, 4:30 p.m., German Mission to the European Union.

—Day 3 of the Concordia Annual Summit, 9 a.m., Sheraton New York Times Square. Speakers include Laura Chinchilla, former president of Costa Rica; Pfizer’s Albert Bourla; Venezuelan politician María Corina Machado; Eliza Reid, first lady of Iceland; Mayor of London Sadiq Khan.

— A Conversation With President Rashad Al-Alimi of Yemen, Council on Foreign relations, 10:45 a.m.

— U.K. reception celebrating soft power and shared U.K.-U.S. foreign policy priorities, hosted by British Foreign Secretary David Lammy, 5:30 p.m., midtown Manhattan.

— Blueprints for a Greener Tomorrow: A Conversation With Prime Minister Mia Mottley of Barbados, 4 p.m., Council on Foreign Relations.

Thanks to Robbie Gramer, Nahal Toosi, Mona Zhang and editor Sanya Khetani-Shah.

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