Biden's UN Diplomatic Gambit: High-Stakes Talks With Brazil, Israel, And Ukraine Amidst World Leader Exodus

Interestingly, Biden is anticipated to be the sole representative from the five-nation UN Security Council leaders attending the event.

Several prominent global figures, including Chinese President Xi Jinping, Russian autocrat Vladimir Putin, French President Emmanuel Macron, British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, and the United Arab Emirates' President Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, have opted out of the annual assembly.

This follows a similar trend observed at the Group of 20 meeting in New Delhi, India, earlier this month, where both Xi and Putin were absent.

Putin's nonattendance is speculated to be due to an arrest warrant issued by the International Criminal Court, while Xi will be represented by Vice President Han Zheng. Their absence provides Biden with a potential diplomatic opportunity to foster relations with developing nations in Africa, Latin America, and Asia, which the U.S. aims to detach from Russia's and China's influence.

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September 18, 2023

During the assembly, Biden is scheduled to meet Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. Later in the week, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky will be hosted at the White House, marking the third such visit from Ukraine since Biden assumed office.

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Each of these meetings carries significant diplomatic implications. The Biden administration is keen to build upon the Abraham Accords, a normalization of relations between Israel, the United Arab Emirates, and Bahrain, brokered by former President Donald Trump. However, Biden and Netanyahu have publicly disagreed over Israel's judicial overhaul, which imposes restrictions on the types of laws the country's Supreme Court can strike down from the Knesset. Despite their differences, both leaders maintain that their relationship remains cordial.

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Last week, following the G20 summit, Lula sparked international controversy by stating that Brazil would not arrest Putin during next year's G20 summit in Rio de Janeiro. Although Lula later retracted his statement, it highlighted concerns about Brazil's stance on Moscow. As an important ally in South America, Brazil's position is crucial to Biden's efforts to unite nations against Russia in defense of Ukraine.

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Biden's diplomatic efforts extend domestically, as Zelensky's visit to Washington, DC, coincides with a contentious debate in Congress over government funding. Some House Republicans are advocating for a reduction in funding for Ukraine amidst a potential government shutdown. Biden is requesting an additional $13.1 billion in military aid and $8.5 billion in humanitarian assistance from Congress.

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To date, Congress has approved over $113 billion in both military and humanitarian aid to Ukraine since Russia's invasion on February 22, 2022, according to the Department of Defense Office of Inspector General. However, not all of these funds have been deployed yet. In July, the Defense Department reported that it had committed $43 billion in security assistance since the onset of the war last year.

The UNGA high-level event is scheduled to take place from September 19 to 26.