Trump to address UN as he distances the US from global cooperation

NEW YORK – US President Donald Trump will address the UN General Assembly on Sept 23 as world leaders grapple with crises from Gaza to Ukraine and question whether the United States, with its “America First” foreign policy, is still prepared to play a leadership role in global affairs.

Since taking office in January, Mr Trump has upended US foreign policy, slashing foreign aid, imposing tariffs on friend and foe alike and cultivating warmer – if volatile – relations with Russia.

At the same time, he has sought, so far with only limited success, to solve some of the world’s most intractable conflicts.

Some 150 heads of state or government are expected to address the chamber this week, including Mr Trump, who is the second scheduled speaker after the session opens at 9am in New York.

Mr Trump will speak eight months into a second term marked by

severe aid cuts

that have sparked humanitarian worries and raised doubts about the UN’s future, prompting UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres to try to trim costs and improve efficiency.

White House officials have yet to provide guidance on what Mr Trump will say.

But according to planning documents reviewed by Reuters, the Trump administration plans to call this week for sharply narrowing the right to asylum, seeking to undo the post-World War II framework around humanitarian protection.

Mr Trump’s more restrictive stance would include requiring asylum seekers to claim protection in the first country they enter, not a nation of their choosing, a State Department spokesman said.

Mr Guterres and Mr Trump are expected to meet formally for the first time since Mr Trump returned to office in January.

Mr Trump describes the UN as having “great potential” but says it has to get its “act together”.

He has maintained the same wary stance on multilateralism that was a hallmark of his first term from 2017 to 2021 and also accused the world body of failing to help him try to broker peace in various conflicts.

Calls for Palestinian state

The General Assembly takes place as the war between Israel and Hamas approaches its second anniversary on Oct 7. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is due to address the General Assembly on Sept 26.

Dozens of world leaders gathered on Sept 22 to

embrace a Palestinian state

, a landmark diplomatic shift that faces fierce resistance from Israel and its close ally the US.

The most far-right government in Israel’s history has declared there will be no Palestinian state as it pushes on with its fight against militant group Hamas in Gaza following the

Oct 7, 2023, attack on Israel

that killed some 1,200 people.

Israel has

drawn global condemnation

over its military conduct in Gaza, where more than 65,000 Palestinians have been killed, according to local health authorities.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov will also address the General Assembly.

Mr Trump and Mr Zelensky are expected to meet on Sept 23.

The US President will also hold a bilateral meeting with Argentina’s Mr Javier Milei and a multilateral meeting with the leaders of Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Indonesia, Turkey, Pakistan, Egypt, the United Arab Emirates and Jordan. REUTERS