With PM skipping UNGA and S Jaishankar representing India, the spotlight is on how New Delhi responds to Trump’s sharp rhetoric as ties strain further over trade tariffs, BRICS dynamics, and visa issues
US President Donald Trump used his first United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) address of his second term to target India and launch a scathing attack on the UN. “China and India are funding the war in Ukraine. Some NATO nations are also doing this. Some European nations are purchasing oil from Russia and fighting it. It’s embarrassing,” Trump declared.
Casting himself as a global peacemaker, Trump claimed he has ended “seven unendable wars” in just seven months of his second term. “People told me these conflicts could never be solved,” he said, listing disputes he claimed to have settled: Cambodia–Thailand, DR Congo–Rwanda, Pakistan–India, Israel–Iran, Egypt–Ethiopia, and Armenia–Azerbaijan.
“I ended seven wars, dealt directly with the leaders of each country, and never even received a call from the UN offering to help finalize the deals,” Trump said. “What is the purpose of the UN? All they seem to do is write strongly worded letters and never follow up. Empty words don’t solve wars.”
The White House had earlier billed Trump’s UNGA speech as “major,” with Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt saying the president would highlight the “renewal of American strength around the world” and tout “historic accomplishments in just eight months.” She added that Trump would outline a “straightforward and constructive vision” for global peace, while criticizing “globalist institutions that have decayed the world order.”
On the sidelines of the UNGA, Trump is scheduled to hold high-profile bilateral meetings with UN Secretary-General António Guterres, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, Argentina’s leadership, and top EU officials. According to reports, Zelenskyy is expected to push Trump for tougher sanctions on Russia.
This marks Trump’s fifth address to the UNGA, and his first since returning to the White House for a second term.
He is also expected to meet Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, raising concerns in New Delhi over Washington’s growing closeness to Islamabad. With Prime Minister Narendra Modi skipping the UNGA and External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar representing India, the spotlight is on how New Delhi responds to Trump’s sharp rhetoric as ties strain further over trade tariffs, BRICS dynamics, and visa issues
