The Independent
· collected 2026-09-21 · by Edith M. Lederer
World leaders convene at the United Nations General Assembly amid escalating conflicts in Iran, Gaza, Ukraine, Sudan, Congo, and Myanmar, along with concerns over artificial intelligence and climate change. The gathering will also focus on U.N. reform, including updates to key institutions like the Security Council. Notable attendees include U.S. President Donald Trump and French President Emmanuel Macron; however, high-profile absences from China’s Xi Jinping and Russia’s Vladimir Putin highlight geopolitical tensions.
Written locally by qwen2.5:14b on 2026-09-21,
using this article's own text rather than the other coverage of the
same event (that is the story summary below).
Story summary
US President Donald Trump met with Chinese President Xi Jinping, where Xi pressed Trump to adopt Beijing's stance against Taiwan independence, which Taiwan rejected outright. Meanwhile, Taiwan is crucial for global tech and economy due to its leading semiconductor production; TSMC alone produces the majority of advanced chips that power smartphones, AI systems, and more. As Stanford Hoover fellow Eyck Freymann noted, economic disruption from a conflict over Taiwan would be severe.
In unrelated developments, Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian met with US media at the UN General Assembly, where he denied Iran's nuclear ambitions while offering to dilute its enriched uranium and allow inspections under international law. He also blamed Washington for ongoing conflicts in the Middle East. The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) estimates that Iran has over 440 kilograms of uranium enriched up to 60%, raising concerns despite Pezeshkian's denials.
Taiwan's representative, Ambassador Alexander Yui, clarified during an interview on CBS’s "Face the Nation" that while Taiwan was discussed between Trump and Xi, it wasn't a major focus. He emphasized there has been no change in US policy towards Taiwan amid recent tensions with China.
Written for “Taiwan Iran Us Relations Midterms” on 2026-10-05,
grounded in this article and the 386 other(s) covering the same event.
Under a global cloud of wars and bitter divisions, world leaders meet at the United Nations this week facing new fears that runaway artificial intelligence could threaten humanity even as climate shocks and escalating prices are already making life much tougher for hundreds of millions of people.
uncertain
life → meet → people
The annual high-level gathering at the U.N. General Assembly will also be consumed with major wars in Iran, Gaza, Ukraine,Sudan, Congo and Myanmar and a persisting question: Can the leaders do anything to end them?
asserted
leaders → consume → them
And what can they do about the relentless rise of global warming threatening the future of the planet, the growing inequalities within and among nations, and shocks to the global economy as blocked shipping routes and supply chains increase the cost of living and slow growth?
asserted
routes → do → growth
The U.N.’s 193 member nations have agreed to a wide-ranging reform package that includes updating key institutions such as the powerful U.N. Security Council, where the U.S., Russia, China, Britain and France hold inordinate sway because of their veto power.
asserted
U.S. → agree → power
Reform, however, is easier said than implemented.
asserted
Reform → say → ?
Behind the scenes, there will be speculation about who will lead the United Nations next.
asserted
who → lead → Nations
Secretary-General Antonio Guterres’ second five-year term ends Dec. 31 and no clear successor has emerged.
asserted
successor → end → ?
There is still no question that the U.N. remains THE gathering place for its 193 member nations and their leaders.
asserted
U.N. → be → nations
Some 130 heads of state and government are expected to speak at the General Assembly starting Tuesday along with dozens of ministers.
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heads → expect → ministers
Both will speak Tuesday after Guterres’ opening “state of the world” address.
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Both → speak → address
Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and Iran’s President Masoud Pezeshkian speak Wednesday.
asserted
Zelenskyy → speak → ?
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu — whom New York Mayor Zoran Mamdani wanted arrested for his treatment of Palestinians in Gaza until he learned he has no such authority — will address the assembly on Thursday.
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he → want → Thursday
For a second year, Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas won’t be coming to the U.N. because the U.S. has refused to give him a visa.
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U.S. → come → visa
He will nonetheless address the assembly by video the same day.
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He → address → video
The United States, under its agreement with the U.N. to host the organization, is required to allow diplomats from all member nations to attend meetings.
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diplomats → host → meetings
Equally telling is who else isn’t coming.
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coming → come → ?
China’s President Xi Jinping is meeting Trump in Washington on Wednesday, yet he is skipping — some diplomats say snubbing — the U.N. gathering and sending a vice president instead.
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diplomats → meet → president
Russian President Vladimir Putin isn’t coming either, and Indian President Narendra Modi has backed out.
asserted
Modi → come → ?
France's U.N. ambassador, Jerome Bonnafont, said it is “extremely critical” for world leaders this week to support the U.N. as the place where the world’s nations meet — especially at a time of such polarization.
asserted
nations → say → polarization
“We believe in multilateralism," he said, "and we believe that the high-level week is the occasion for countries in the world to reaffirm that they prefer cooperation and dialogue to confrontation.”
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they → believe → confrontation
United Nations has not had a great year
asserted
Nations → have → year
There is no doubt it’s been a tough year for the world body.
asserted
it → be → body
It has been pushed to the sidelines when it comes to its key responsibility of ensuring international peace and security and trying to end major conflicts in the Mideast and Ukraine.
asserted
it → push → Mideast
The U.S. failure to pay billions of dollars in outstanding arrears has left the organization’s finances in rocky shape.
asserted
failure → pay → shape
But veteran U.N. watcher Richard Gowan, the International Crisis Group’s global issues and institutions program director, says 2025 was even worse.
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2025 → say → ?
A year ago, he said, people were contemplating that Trump would use his U.N. speech to announce that the United States would leave the world organization.
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States → say → organization
Trump didn’t announce a pullout last September and the U.N. muddled through the past 12 months with financial troubles that forced cutbacks to its peacekeeping operations and humanitarian aid.
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that → announce → operations
In recent days, the U.S. paid $725 million of its dues to the U.N.’s regular operating budget for this year, enough to keep the Trump administration from losing its vote in the General Assembly.
asserted
U.S. → pay → Assembly
The payment was a strong indication Trump will keep the U.S. in the United Nations.
asserted
Trump → keep → Nations
The U.N. is no longer “in freefall,” Gowan said, but it “is stuck in an open-ended or permanent crisis.”
asserted
it → say → crisis
Put more graphically, he said, “The U.N. may not be in emergency care like it was last year, but it does seem to be trapped in a trauma center for the foreseeable future.”
uncertain
it → Put → future
Former U.N. deputy secretary-general Mark Malloch-Brown, a United Nations Foundation board member, said, “While the world still trusts the U.N., the global public is eager for change."
AI is pushing toward the center of the agenda
The future of artificial intelligence has pushed to the forefront of global concerns, with its speeding advances and the dawning recognition that there are no industry controls, let alone any global guardrails for a technology that has many advantages but also many disadvantages and unknowns.
asserted
that → say → advantages
Days before the global gathering, leaders of three major AI companies warned about the technology getting out of human control and called for a pause, but Trump dismissed their concerns as “a hoax,” and urged continued advances to keep the U.S. ahead of China.
asserted
Trump → warn → China
The U.N. Security Council added a high-level meeting on AI to its agenda on Wednesday afternoon, a sign of the growing apprehension and need to address the issue.
asserted
Council → add → issue
It was already slated to hold a high-level meeting on Ukraine with Zelenskyy on Wednesday morning.
asserted
It → slat → morning
He previewed his speech last week, telling U.N. reporters that power is shifting in “an era of deep uncertainty."
asserted
power → preview → uncertainty
“At a time when the world faces three existential threats," he said, “international cooperation is more necessary than ever.”
asserted
cooperation → face → threats
Others will be vying for the spotlight on issues from rising sea levels and funding education to the fight for gender equality.
asserted
Others → vie → equality
Hundreds of private meetings will also convene in U.N. cubicles, hotels, diplomatic missions and restaurants.
asserted
Hundreds → convene → cubicles
Esther Brimmer, a senior fellow in global governance at the Council on Foreign Relations and former U.S. assistant secretary of state for international organization affairs in the Obama administration, said in-person meetings can help countries hash out ideas that get implemented months later.
asserted
that → say → ideas
…and 4 more, not listed.
The Aporia
