UN summit: Zelenskyy, Lavrov play revolving doors

Day 2 of the UN General Assembly has come to a close after 40 speeches that spanned across a dozen hours. The General Debate ends on September 26.

Fathallah al-Zani, provisional foreign minister for the UN-recognized government based in Libya's capital, Tripoli, has been speaking at the UN General Assembly after the devastation that hit his country after heavy rains last week.

He said the storms and flooding that hit his country last week have "fully surpassed all local capacity" to respond and help.

Al-Zani said his country was "weighed down with sadness." The floods have killed thousands in Libya's northeast in the past 10 days. The survivors have been plagued by water contamination and a lack of sanitation. 

"I call on the world to live up to its responsibility to Libya in order to help cope with the aftermath of the disaster," the minister said.

He said Libyans have set aside political differences in a "spirit of unity and solidarity" in response to the problems.

"This is the lesson that we need to pass on to our children," said al-Zani, a youth minister who was appointed foreign minister on a temporary basis last month.

On the sidelines of the General Assembly, German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock and Environment Minister Steffi Lemke signed the United Nations' High Seas Treaty.

For the first time, the international agreement provides protection for areas outside the exclusive economic zones of individual countries. 

The treaty stipulates that activities such as the extraction of mineral resources on the high seas must be preceded by an assessment of their environmental consequences.

Germany is among the first countries to become a signatory to the treaty, with the text for the freshly-ratified document only becoming available on Wednesday.

Baerbock said the treaty was "a glimmer of hope for the world's oceans, a glimmer of hope for the people of this world, but also a glimmer of hope for the United Nations."

She said the high seas had previously been "de facto a lawless area," but added, "That's changing now."

According to the UN, more than 60 countries want to sign the agreement.

Italian Prime Minister Georgia Meloni has spoken to the assembly about the need to tackle human trafficking and defeat those in the trade who had become "rich beyond measure."

"They deceive those who rely on them to migrate to find a better life, having them pay thousands of dollars to pay for trips to Europe, they sell with brochures as if they were regular travel agencies."

"Those brochures don't tell you that those trips can often lead to death, to a grave at the bottom of the Mediterranean Sea."

"They don't care if the boat they use is unfit for that type of travel or not. The only important thing for them is the profit margin."

"I believe it is the duty of this organization to reject any hypocritical approach to this issue and wage a global war without mercy against the traffickers of human beings," she said.

Meloni, who won office last year vowing to curb illegal immigration, this week said her government would adopt new measures to crack down on migration after the southern island of Lampedusa received a wave of arrivals from Tunisia.

Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva has met his Ukrainian counterpart Volodymyr Zelenskyy on the sidelines of the assembly to discuss ways to achieve a peaceful end to the war in Ukraine.

"We had a good conversation about the importance of paths to building peace," Lula posted on messaging platform X, formerly known as Twitter, after their meeting in New York City.

He added that the the pair had pledged to maintain an open dialogue between their countries.

Also in a post on X after the meeting, Zelenskyy said he and Lula had instructed their diplomatic teams "to work on the next steps in our bilateral relations and peace efforts."

Brazil's Foreign Minister Mauro Vieira earlier said meeting had a "cooperative mood." 

Vieira also said Lula showed a willingness to talk to "both sides" and reaffirmed that Brazil condemned the territorial invasion of countries.

The Brazilian president has called for the creation of a group of nations to mediate an end to the war between Russia and Ukraine.

In May, he said neither country was to blame for the conflict, a move that angered many in the West.

Last month, Lula told reporters neither Zelenskyy nor Russian President Vladimir Putin were prepared for peace.

South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol expressed his concern before the UN General Assembly over Russia's deepening relationship with North Korea.

"It is paradoxical that a permanent member of the UN Security Council, entrusted as the ultimate guardian of world peace, would wage war by invading another sovereign nation and receive arms and ammunition from a regime that blatantly violates UN Security Council resolutions," he said.

Last week North Korean Leader Kim Jong Un visited Russia in a trip aimed at boosting military cooperation.

Kim met Putin at Russia's most important space launch center before visiting military sites to see some of Russia's most advanced weapons systems such as nuclear-capable bombers, fighter jets and hypersonic missiles.

Yoon told the General Assembly that if his northern neighbor acquired the technology to "enhance its WMD capabilities in exchange for supporting Russia with conventional weapons, the deal will be a direct provocation threatening the peace and security of not only Ukraine but also the Republic of Korea." He said that his country and its allies "will not stand idly by."

German Chancellor Olaf Scholz called on Russia to comply with the UN General Assembly request in February to withdraw troops and end its war in Ukraine.

That request, Scholz said, had gone unanswered.

"Nothing rings louder today than Russia's silence in response to this global call for peace," Scholz said in his address to the UN Security Council.

"Tens of thousands of servicemen and Ukrainian civilians have been killed. Countless Ukrainian children have been kidnapped. Russian troops have murdered, raped and tortured. They are razing towns and villages to the ground," Scholz said

Germany's chancellor also accused Russia of purposefully depriving the world market of millions of tons of grain and fertilizer needed by countries around the world.

"Russia is deliberately targeting grain silos and port infrastructure. And Russia has unilaterally taken away the Black Sea Grain Initiative, thereby exacerbating poverty and food insecurity around the world," Scholz said.

The anticipated showdown between Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy did not materialize, due to Zelenskyy leaving before the arrival of Lavrov.

When Lavrov did speak, he accused the West of focusing only on its geopolitical needs during his address before the Security Council.

Lavrov said that this had resulted in "a shaking of global stability as well as the exacerbation and the fomenting of new hotbeds of tension."

Furthermore, Lavrov argued that the risks of global conflict had heightened.

Lavrov said that since the collapse of the USSR "the US and its satellites have egregiously and openly interfered in the domestic affairs of Ukraine," and cited then US deputy Secretary of State Victoria Nuland in 2013 saying that billions of dollars had been spent "cultivating Ukrainian politicians."

Lavrov said that during the Security Council session, Russia had an opportunity to "restore the chronological succession of events," and went on to say the US had sanctioned the first coup in Kyiv from 2004 to 2005.

Lavrov also defended his country's use of veto power at the UN Security Council as a "legitimate tool" of international relations, following calls from Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy for aggressors to have the power of veto suspended.

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken thanked UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres for what he called his "moral clarity" in how he has dealt with Russia's war in Ukraine.

Blinken also thanked Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy for reminding the Security Council "yesterday, today and every day, what's at stake in this conflict, not just for Ukraine, not just for Ukrainians, but for all of us."

Blinken then took aim at Russia and used the session to accuse Moscow of crimes against humanity in Ukraine.

"Russia is committing war crimes and crimes against humanity in Ukraine on a daily basis," Blinken said.

German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock urged both Russia and Azerbaijan to bring an end to the violence in Nagorno-Karabakh.

"Azerbaijan in particular, and Russia too, must ensure that people are safe in their own homes," Baerbock said on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly.

"There will only be a peaceful solution to this conflict if it comes about that the military actions of the past and also the current ones are stopped immediately," Baerbock said.

Tuesday saw Azerbaijan launch a military operation in the South Caucasus region of Nagorno-Karabakh with a Russian-brokered ceasefire being implemented on Wednesday.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy called for a broadening of permanent members of the Security Council.

Zelenskyy said Germany should be granted a permanent seat on the Security Council arguing that it had become "one of the key guarantors of peace and security."

Ukraine's leader said the composition of permanent members of the Security Council "should reflect the current realities" and said the African Union, Asia, Latin America and the Pacific states should also be given permanent representation.

Expanding the Security Council is a topic that's been discussed on and off for decades. But it is broadly seen as a non-starter given the need for all five existing permanent members — often with very different priorities and allies, and with an interest in maintaining their own elevated status at the UN — to find consensus on any potential reform. 

A session of the Security Council got underway with Russia objecting to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy being given the floor to speak first, arguing that it was against protocol.

Notably absent from the meeting was Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov.

When Zelenskyy was given the floor to speak, he immediately referenced Russia's invasion of his country and the damage it had done.

"Since the start of the full-scale aggression launched by the state, which for some reason is still present here and one of the permanent members of the UN Security Council, there have already been 574 days of pain, losses and struggle," Zelenskyy said.

"Russia has killed at least tens of thousands of our people and turned millions into refugees by destroying their homes."

Zelenskyy said Ukraine was exercising its right to self-defense and accused Russia of "criminal and unprovoked aggression."

Zelenskyy also said that the UN General Assembly should be given "real power to overcome the veto," refering to Russia's ability to veto decisions made by the body.

"In cases of mass atrocities against human rights, veto power should be voluntarily suspended but we can also observe that Russia will not give up this stolen privilege voluntarily."

US President Joe Biden and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu are expected to meet on the sidelines of the UN debate on Wednesday. 

It will be the first time Netanyahu and Biden have met personally since the former returned to power at the top of a far-right government last year. 

A possible Saudi-Israeli normalization deal and the threat posed by Iran's nuclear program seem likely international topics of discussion. 

But the meeting also comes as Biden has expressed discontent with a Israeli judicial reform plan backed by Netanyahu.   

Netanyahu has said the reforms are necessary in order to weaken the power of unelected judges over Israeli political life. Israeli critics, however, say the reform will usher in authoritarianism in the country.    

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy will attend a gathering on the sidelines of the 15-member UN Security Council.

Also in attendance will be Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov. It would be the first time Zelenskyy and Lavrov see each other face to face since Russia's commenced its invasion of Ukraine in February 2022. 

Russia is a permanent member of the UN Security Council, and its veto power has all but paralyzed the chamber during its invasion of Ukraine, with UN members only able to pass non-binding General Assembly resolutions on the conflict. 

It's Zelenskyy first trip to the UN in New York since the war began. The Ukrainian leader is also expected to meet German Chancellor Olaf Scholz on Wednesday, with the two leaders possibly discussing Ukraine's request for Taurus missiles.  

South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol and Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni are among the speakers on day 2 of the UN General Assembly. 

Yoon is expected to mention the "illicit, dangerous" military agreements between North Korea and Russia during his UN speech, according to his aides.

"He is expected to call the international community's attention to the illicit and dangerous nature of military transactions between Russia and North Korea, and urge a united response from the international community," a Yoon aide told journalists, according to Reuters news agency.  

Yoon's address comes after North Korean leader Kim Jong Un made a rare trip to Russia. The North Korean leader was believed to be seeking food aid during his visit to Russia, with Putin looking for armaments from North Korea to supply its war in Ukraine. 

Italy's Meloni, meanwhile, will speak as the Italian island of Lampedusa faces a major influx of migrants. Last week, over 7,000 migrants mostly from Africa arrived in Lampedusa, overwhelming the island. 

Meloni has sounded the alarm, with European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen visiting Lampedusa with Meloni on Sunday.    

Other countries expected to give addresses include the UN-backed government in Libya, with the North African country having recently witnessed massive flooding.