Russia-Ukraine war to take centrestage at UNGA, Zelensky to attend in person

As Russia's war on Ukraine continues for a second year, the global leaders are set to meet at the United Nations on Monday (September 18), where the West will continue to push its agenda to seek the support of developing nations over the conflict.

With the main focus on Russian aggression in Ukraine, this year, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy is expected to attend the annual gathering in New York for the very first time since the conflict broke out.

Also this year, concerns of the Global South will be high on the agenda, in part a reflection of the increased attention put on the developing world by Western nations to secure its backing for the effort to isolate Russia.

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Several top-level meetings, that will be transpiring during the General Assembly, will mostly focus on priorities of developing countries in Africa, Latin America and Asia: climate, health, financing for development, and how to get the Sustainable Development Goals - a global "to-do" list created in 2015 - on track.

"This is a year when the countries of the Global South have set the agenda," said Richard Gowan, UNdirector of the International Crisis Group think tank.

"Non-western countries have played this moment quite effectively," he said. "I think they have taken advantage of the fact that they know that the US, on one hand, and then Russia on the other, want their support."

Zelensky expected to address General Assembly

The Ukrainian President is expected to address the General Assembly on Tuesday (September 19) and speak at a UN Security Council meeting on Ukraine on Wednesday. This could also place him next to Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov.

Western diplomats are inclined to demonstrate that their efforts to target Russia over its aggression in Ukraine diplomaticallydo not mean they cannot highlight other crises and issues of significance to the rest of the world.

"It's not a case of either/or. We need to do both," said British UNAmbassador Barbara Woodward, describing Russia's invasion as "an attack on everything the UNstands for."

Still, a senior European diplomat, speaking on condition of anonymity, cautioned that geopolitical tensions could push more developing countries away from Western-led efforts and toward the BRICS group - Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa - in the hope that it can "better deliver on some of the interests of the developing world."

(With inputs from agencies)

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