New York (Union)
World leaders are focusing on the Ukrainian crisis and the global food crisis, exacerbated by Russia’s attack on Ukraine, when they meet this week at the United Nations in New York, in a meeting that is unlikely to produce any progress towards the end of the conflict. .
“It would be naive to think that we are close to reaching a peace agreement … the chances of a peace agreement are slim at the moment,” UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said before the high-level meeting in 193 – member of the UN General Assembly, which begins Tuesday.
Geopolitical divisions, exacerbated by the seven-month crisis, are likely to become more evident as the United States and its Western allies compete with Russia for diplomatic influence.
“Other countries have expressed concern that by focusing on Ukraine, we are not paying attention to what is happening in other crises around the world,” said US Ambassador to the United Nations Linda Thomas Greenfield.
“This is not the truth,” he told reporters, adding that although Ukraine would play a leading role, “it will not be the only issue we are discussing.”
Guterres said the geopolitical differences were “wider than they have been at least since the Cold War.” He warned that they “paralyze the world’s response to the exciting challenges we face”, referring to war, climate, poverty, hunger and inequality.
Russia and Ukraine are the main exporters of wheat and fertilizers and the United Nations has accused the crisis of having exacerbated a food crisis already fueled by climate change and the Covid-19 pandemic.
The United States will host a food security summit with the European Union and the African Union, on the sidelines of the United Nations meeting, as well as a ministerial meeting of the global action plan on the Corona virus, and a conference to replenish resources of the World Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria.
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