New York: US President Joe Biden held discussions with UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres on Wednesday on issues including the Russia-Ukraine war and the Black Sea grain deal.
“President Joseph R. Biden, Jr. met today with United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres during the UN General Assembly in New York. The leaders reaffirmed the strong partnership between the United States and the United Nations,” the White House said in a statement about the meeting at UN headquarters during the General Assembly in New York.
The statement further added that both the leaders discussed the issues facing the UN, including Russia’s special military operation in Ukraine, which is a clear threat to the core tenets of the UN Charter and its impact on the broader international community.
“The President thanked Secretary-General Guterres for his leadership in working to establish the Black Sea Grain Initiative. They also reaffirmed the continued need for global action to address the global climate and food security crises,” the statement reads.
After meeting UN Secretary-General, Biden updated his Twitter account and wrote, “I joined UN Secretary-General @AntonioGuterres to reaffirm the partnership between the U.S. and the United Nations. We discussed the threat of Russia’s war in Ukraine to the UN Charter and global community and the need for swift action to address climate and food insecurity.”
Before the bilateral meeting with Guterres, Biden said, “(In progress) …really positive, particularly you stepping in to access grain out of Ukraine and Russia. And — but there’s so much more we can do, I think. We’re — we’re prepared. And it wasn’t hyperbole what I was suggesting when I spoke. There are — I think that, you know, the great polluting nations of the world like ours owe an obligation to the nations that are suffering the consequences of global warming.”
While recalling the G7 meeting, Biden suggested to set up a Build Back Better initiative worldwide where one doesn’t have to go to countries to help, “but we’re looking for USD 600 billion among us to be able to have them build the infrastructure they need to protect their physical capacity to survive. And I think we can do it. That’s going to take some real focus.”
“And Senator Kerry is still continuing to try to generate some cooperation with China, which was started. I hope we can get that back on track in a major way. There’s just a whole lot of things that I — I think we have the capacity to do. And — but — then again, there’s one friend of mine who is a neurosurgeon who said my problem is I’m a congenital optimist. But I am optimistic. I think we can make things better,” Biden said as quoted in the statement.
