WASHINGTON (TNND) — World leaders gathered in New York this week for the 81st United Nations General Assembly as major conflicts and security disputes dominated the agenda, including the war in Ukraine, Iran’s nuclear program and a new U.S. security agreement involving Greenland.
President Donald Trump has already addressed the assembly, and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy is in town pressing for support as the war with Russia continues more than four years after Russia invaded Ukraine. (TNND)
President Donald Trump has already addressed the assembly, and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy is in town pressing for support as the war with Russia continues more than four years after Russia invaded Ukraine.
Clifford May, founder and president of the Foundation for Defense of Democracies, said that from Zelenskyy’s perspective, a serious peace framework could include accepting “a ceasefire at the line of contact, that is, where the troops are right now.” May argued, however, that Russian President Vladimir Putin is not seeking that outcome.
“The problem is that Putin doesn’t want that,” May said.
What Putin wants is to conquer Ukraine, to drag it back into the Russian empire, which for a while became the Soviet Empire, and rule it out of Moscow,” he added.
May said Ukrainians would see that as an existential threat.
“That would be the end of their nation, end of their culture, end their language,” he said.
May also cited what he described as heavy Russian casualties and said Putin “doesn’t care,” calling the war “his mission.” May criticized Russia’s recent election, calling it “a bogus election,” and said, “The opposition party wasn’t even on the ballot.”
On the United Nations’ role, May said, “The UN has done nothing helpful to date. And I do not expect the UN to do anything helpful in the future.”
Iran also returned to the forefront at the U.N. as the International Atomic Energy Agency referred Iran to the Security Council for the first time in 20 years. The issue comes amid a dispute over snapback sanctions after Russia and China vetoed a U.S. bid to keep monitoring those sanctions.
May said the U.N. is largely ineffective against Tehran because of Russia and China’s posture.
“It’s basically not because neither China nor Russia, both China and Russia, are essentially allies of the Islamic Republic of Iran,” he said. He described the IAEA as “a good agency within the UN doing what it can do,” but said its options are limited when Security Council members block action.
In remarks earlier today, Trump framed his decision-making on Iran in stark terms: “But I have a big decision to make. Will a deal be made with Iran, or do I annihilate the Islamic Republic and do it quickly, never giving them a chance to kill and destroy people and countries again?”
May said he viewed Trump’s comments as serious.
“I think it’s a legitimate line of thinking, and I think the president’s telling the truth when he says he’s got a big decision to make,” he said.
May said the U.S. is currently pursuing what he described as “an economic strangulation campaign on the Islamic Republic of Iran,” arguing that oil revenue has been curtailed “thanks to the U.S. blockade.” He also pointed to inflation in Iran, saying the country is “printing reels by the literally by the million,” and added, “That’s where inflation is.”
May said that did not rule out military action.
“That doesn’t mean there will not be more kinetics. By kinetics, I mean military attacks on this regime,” he said. He also said Iran’s leadership has “for 47 years has vowed death to America and death to Israel,” and argued Iran seeks nuclear weapons “to make that a realistic possibility.”
The United States, Denmark and Greenland recently agreed to a historic deal expanding U.S. basing, overflight and investment screening on the island, aimed at barring adversaries from gaining a military foothold. The agreement has drawn competing characterizations, with Trump calling it permanent control over Greenland’s security, while Copenhagen has insisted sovereignty was never part of the deal.
May said, “In a way, they’re both right,” while emphasizing Greenland’s strategic importance as the Arctic grows more significant. He said the United States needs security there “from Russia, from China,” and described Moscow, Beijing, Tehran and Pyongyang as “in an alliance, an axis,” with a shared goal to “diminish American power every way they can.”
May said the agreement strengthens U.S. security interests while leaving sovereignty intact.
“They’re not surrendering sovereignty to the U.S., so it’s a good deal,” he said.