Day One on the U.N. General Assembly Floor

Welcome back to World Brief, where we’re looking at first-day speeches at the U.N. General Assembly, Canadian accusations against Indian officials, and fighting in Nagorno-Karabakh.

World leaders gathered in New York City on Tuesday for the 78th annual United Nations General Assembly. Among the biggest talking points were Russia’s war in Ukraine, human rights abuses against Palestinians, renewed violence in Nagorno-Karabakh, and the future of the U.N. as we know it.

Kicking off the gathering was Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva. Following U.N. tradition, Brazil always speaks first—a policy adhered to since 1955. The Latin American leader called for higher taxes on the nation’s wealthiest citizens, stronger protections to combat deforestation in the Amazon rainforest, and greater multilateral cooperation, which he has led through the so-called BRICS group. “Brazil is back,” Lula said, touting democratic rule as vital to overcoming disinformation and oppression.

Up next came U.S. President Joe Biden, who also centered his speech on global collaboration efforts. As the only leader of a permanent-five member of the U.N. Security Council to attend the summit in person, Biden called on the body to authorize a “security support mission” to help Haiti battle gang violence. He also urged “de-risking, not decoupling” with China and celebrated improving Israeli-Arab relations.

However, Biden wasn’t preaching kumbaya policies with everyone. The U.S. president unequivocally blamed Russia for its war in Ukraine and renewed Washington’s commitment to support Kyiv. “If you allow Ukraine to be carved up, is the independence of any nation secure?” he asked.

Biden’s pledge to continue aiding Ukraine came as Russian President Vladimir Putin sought to strengthen Moscow’s alliances elsewhere. On Tuesday, the Kremlin announced that Putin will travel to Beijing in October to meet with Chinese President Xi Jinping. This will be Putin’s first foreign trip since the International Criminal Court issued an arrest warrant for him in March for forcibly relocating Ukrainian children, a war crime. Neither Putin nor Xi is attending this year’s U.N. General Assembly.

Other key speakers included Colombian President Gustavo Petro, Jordanian King Abdullah II, Polish President Andrzej Duda, and Cuban President Miguel Díaz-Canel. But it was Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s podium time that caught people’s eyes. Erdogan reiterated Ankara’s neutral position toward Russia’s war in Ukraine, asserted his support for Azerbaijan in its conflict with Armenia, and called for the U.N. Security Council to expand veto power to more than five nations.

The most anticipated speech, though, came from Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky. Zelensky’s first in-person appearance at the summit since the war began was meant to drum up additional international support in the form of arms deals and humanitarian funding. He also questioned Russia’s membership in the United Nations, calling on the body’s dedication to protecting state sovereignty.

• The Endless Frustration of Chinese Diplomacy by Cindy Yu
• America Prepares for a Pacific War With China It Doesn’t Want by Zuri Linetsky
• Why Does Eastern Germany Love Putin So Much? by Jens Kastner and Jack Hewson

The big whodunit. Diplomatic relations between Canada and India exploded on Monday after Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau accused New Delhi of involvement in the assassination of Sikh separatist leader Hardeep Singh Nijjar in western Canada in June. The announcement followed weeks of state-led investigations and behind-the-scenes negotiations between Canada and its allies. Many of Canada’s closest friends, including the United States, have refused to join Ottawa in condemning New Delhi.

Trudeau’s declaration marks one of the lowest periods in Canada-India relations in history. And if the report is true, then it would signal one of the world’s first state-sponsored assassinations on friendly soil in decades. Following the allegations, Canada expelled an Indian diplomat for allegedly being an intelligence officer. India followed suit by expelling a Canadian diplomat on Tuesday and accusing the country of interfering in India’s internal affairs.

“Anti-terrorist” campaign. Fighting erupted in Nagorno-Karabakh on Tuesday when Azerbaijan launched an “anti-terrorist” military campaign against Armenian forces in the contested region. According to Azerbaijan’s foreign ministry, only the complete “dissolution” of Nagorno-Karabakh’s pro-Armenian government will stop the violence.

Full-blown war over the region last sparked in 2020, when Azerbaijani troops reclaimed much of the contested ethnic Armenian territory that it had lost over the last two decades. More than 7,000 people were killed at the time. The fighting halted only after Russia brokered a cease-fire and sent in peacekeepers. But clashes in recent months, including Tuesday’s assault, suggest a new surge in violence could be just around the corner.

Unrest in Derna. Hundreds of Libyans marched through the eastern city of Derna on Monday to demand the removal of government officials responsible for poor infrastructure in the nation, including two dams that burst last week, killing at least 11,300 people. Protesters have called for the removal of Aguila Saleh, the speaker of Libya’s House of Representatives, as well as other top officials.

Fearing public unrest, Derna’s local government ordered all journalists to leave the city, and many foreign correspondents were briefly detained by the country’s military. Search and rescue teams are still pleading for international aid to help survivors as the death toll continues to rise.

Nothing inspires confidence like one of the world’s largest militaries losing a fighter jet—in its own backyard. The U.S. military urged locals to be on the lookout of an F-35 aircraft on Sunday after it went missing over South Carolina. It took almost two days to locate the missing plane, where it was discovered just two hours north of where the pilot ejected. “How in the hell do you lose an F-35?” U.S. Rep. Nancy Mace wrote on X, formerly known as Twitter.

Correction, Sept. 20, 2023: A previous version of this newsletter misstated when Brazil began speaking first at the United Nations General Assembly.