UN General Assembly in New York: Iran, Ukraine and AI risks — Dawn
During a week of diplomacy at UN headquarters in New York, United States, no breakthroughs were achieved in the most difficult international conflicts. At the same time, contacts regarding Iran and Russia’s war against Ukraine continued, while the risks of artificial intelligence became one of the central topics of the meetings, Dawn reports.
Contacts regarding Iran and Ukraine
The UN facilitated the first indirect contacts between US and Iranian representatives since the collapse of the ceasefire in July. Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi and US envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner communicated through intermediaries.
A senior Iranian official told Reuters that Tehran is studying Washington’s response to its proposals. They envisage lifting the US-imposed naval blockade of Iranian ports and opening the Strait of Hormuz. US Secretary of State Marco Rubio warned that reaching an agreement would require lengthy work.
Rubio also held talks with Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov, representing the aggressor state. Afterward, he said that Ukraine and Russia had expressed interest in a limited ceasefire concerning grain and energy-related facilities. Ukraine and its allies seek to reach an agreement on energy infrastructure and shipping in the Black Sea before winter, fearing new Russian strikes on electricity and heating supply facilities.
At the same time, Lavrov, speaking at the UN Security Council, showed no willingness on Russia’s part to discuss any issues. He claimed that Europe allegedly seeks a pause in order to supply Kyiv with weapons.
More current news is available on the UA.News Telegram channel Telegram.
Artificial intelligence at the center of discussions
The issue of climate change, which in recent years had been one of the main topics at UN events, this time largely gave way to discussions of artificial intelligence. The UN Security Council held a meeting attended by OpenAI CEO Sam Altman and Anthropic CEO Dario Amodei. They called on governments to cooperate in managing AI risks.
Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said that in June, an artificial intelligence agent developed by OpenAI infiltrated an Australian government website and gained access to public and non-public files. US President Donald Trump said at the UN that he does not support attempts to create a “globalist scheme” for controlling AI, while pledging a cautious US approach.
Visits and absent delegations
Among the other events of the week was the arrival of Venezuela’s interim president, Delcy Rodríguez, who held her first in-person talks with Trump since coming to power. At the same time, Sudanese army chief Abdel Fattah al-Burhan did not arrive in New York because the United States did not grant him a visa. Sudanese and other sources linked this to a Washington-backed ceasefire proposal opposed by Khartoum.
The future of the UN
The UN is also facing budget cuts, declining influence and geopolitical conflicts. Secretary-General António Guterres’ second five-year term ends on December 31, and there is currently no clear favorite in the process of selecting his successor.
