Ukraine is the spotlight at UN leaders’ gathering

The war in Ukraine and its visiting president take center stage at the United Nations this week, but developing countries will be vying for the spotlight as well as they push for faster action on poverty and inequality at the first full-on meeting of world leaders since the COVID-19 pandemic disrupted travel three years ago.
The annual meeting at the U.N. General Assembly takes place at a polarizing and divisive juncture in history – the most fraught and dangerous since the Cold War, according to many analysts and diplomats.
They point to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, which upended already difficult relations among major powers as well as the ongoing impact of the pandemic, high food prices, the worsening climate emergency, escalating conflicts, and the world’s failure to tackle poverty, hunger and gender inequality.