US-EU divisions laid bare at UN

United States President Donald Trump returned to the United Nations on Tuesday, leveling broad, detailed critiques of the institution and lecturing its member states.

Speaking second, after Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva in the UN General Assembly, Trump "seized" the spotlight. Since Monday, multiple streets in New York have been closed for his motorcade, reporters have been rotating through the press room to film, and thousands have gathered outside the UN headquarters to protest, leading to numerous arrests.

This is Trump's first UN address since he returned to the White House in January, and it lasted nearly an hour, quadrupling his allotted 15 minutes. He criticized the world body for "not doing enough" as he recounted his foreign policy successes.

Since returning to office, he has rolled back UN funding, with $1 billion already cut, and more reductions expected next year.

Trump opened his remarks by complaining that the escalator inside the UN building and the teleprompter were not working, warning the operator was "in big trouble", though a UN official said the teleprompter was run by the White House.

Trump also argued the UN has failed to broker peace, saying it does little more than issue "strongly worded letters" and offer "empty words". He again touted himself for a Nobel Peace Prize.

However, amid the Gaza conflict, the US vetoed six UN Security Council ceasefire resolutions, saying hostages must be freed first — which Trump echoed in his speech.

He also ripped into US allies for recognizing Palestinian statehood. On Monday, France, Belgium and others joined a growing list of countries recognizing the State of Palestine at a high-level UN conference on the two-state solution.

"Some of this body is seeking to unilaterally recognize a Palestinian state. The rewards would be too great for Hamas terrorists for their atrocities," Trump said.

On Ukraine, Trump said he wants the conflict to end and warned that the US is prepared to impose "a very strong round of powerful tariffs" on Russia if it refuses a peace deal. He also accused European allies, as well as India and China, of buying Russian oil that he said is fueling the conflict.

"Your countries are going to hell," he told EU leaders.

In addition, Trump criticized UN climate efforts and urged countries to buy more US energy, saying the US would no longer sacrifice to shift the world away from carbon fuels. Upon returning to office, he again ordered the US to withdraw from the Paris climate accord.

"All of these predictions made by the United Nations and many others, often for bad reasons, were wrong," he said. "They were made by stupid people."

After his remarks, Trump met with several leaders and appeared to walk back to his earlier position.

"Ukraine, with the support of the EU, is in a position to fight and win back all of its territory," he wrote on social media, signaling a shift from his earlier call on Kyiv to make concessions and his criticism of the EU.

Measure of hope

Before Trump's speech, United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres warned about the dangerously chaotic state of the world while providing a measure of hope that unity and diplomacy can bring stability.

"People everywhere are demanding something better, and we owe them something deserving of their trust," he said.

The UN remains indispensable, Guterres said. "At its best, the United Nations is more than a meeting place. It is a moral compass, a force for peace … a guardian of international law and a lifeline for people in crisis."

In the afternoon, French President Emmanuel Macron also addressed the UN General Assembly. He reportedly phoned Trump on Monday night after being blocked in traffic by the US president's motorcade.

Macron offered a different vision than Trump, saying the UN is an important institution that must be strengthened. He also underscored the urgency of tackling climate change, warning it is "not under control" and "biodiversity is collapsing".

He further urged Israel to end the "permanent war" with its neighbors, despite Trump's warning to European leaders in the morning.

The UN's "harshest critics are also those that want to change the rules of the game, because they want to exert domination", Macron said.

"The world's complexity is not a reason to throw in the towel on our principles and our ambitions. To a certain extent, ours is a moment of paradox. We need more than ever before to restore the spirit of cooperation that prevailed 80 years ago."

mingmeili@chinadailyusa.com