A year ago, he had to speak virtually. Volodymyr Zelensky arrived in New York on Monday before his speech expected on Tuesday at the United Nations General Assembly. The Ukrainian president will also attend a UN Security Council meeting on the war with Russia on Wednesday. For the first time since the start of the conflict, he should therefore find himself at the same table as Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov.
On Monday, Zelensky visited wounded Ukrainian soldiers being treated at State Island University Hospital in New York with his wife. He is due to address the UN during the morning session of the General Assembly on Tuesday, ahead of bilateral meetings. Subsequently, he will travel to Washington on Thursday for a visit to the White House to talk about military and financial aid.
Biden, alone among the five permanent members of the Security Council
In New York, the Ukrainian president must meet with his Brazilian counterpart Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, after a meeting canceled in May during the G7 summit in Hiroshima, Japan, officially due to an incompatibility of agendas.
This year, Joe Biden will be the only leader of one of the five permanent members of the UN Security Council to speak from the podium. Emmanuel Macron was excused because of the visit of King Charles III. British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak will also be absent due to a scheduling conflict that Downing Street has not clarified.