Trump Faces Packed UN Diplomatic Agenda Amid Escalating Global Crises

By Gram Slattery and Humeyra Pamuk

UNITED NATIONS, Sept 22 (Reuters) — Donald Trump is scheduled for a marathon day of diplomacy at the United Nations General Assembly on Tuesday, with back-to-back meetings spanning four continents as he confronts a volatile Middle East and a grinding war in Ukraine that has resisted resolution despite sustained U.S. mediation efforts.

The day opens with an address to the General Assembly, the contents of which remain undisclosed. Last year, Trump delivered a combative speech criticizing member states on issues ranging from climate policy to migration. Following his remarks, the president is slated to hold at least 11 bilateral and multilateral sessions with world leaders.

Tuesday’s roster includes talks with British Prime Minister Andy Burnham, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy, Venezuela’s interim leader Delcy Rodriguez, Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen, and Greenland Premier Jens-Frederik Nielsen. Trump will also convene a group meeting with representatives from the Gulf Cooperation Council states: the United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia, Oman, Bahrain, Kuwait, and Qatar. A leaders’ reception in the evening may yield dozens of additional, brief encounters. The president met with French President Emmanuel Macron on Monday, and further additions to Tuesday’s schedule are possible.

The extensive itinerary underscores the administration’s heavy emphasis on foreign affairs, a tenure marked by military interventions, strained alliances, territorial threats toward partners, and mediation attempts across more than a dozen conflicts with varying outcomes.

The U.S.-Israeli conflict with Iran has proven particularly consequential, roiling global energy markets, eroding domestic approval, and complicating Republican prospects in the upcoming congressional midterms. A Reuters/Ipsos poll released Monday showed Trump’s approval rating at a record low of 32%, with dissatisfaction over the cost of living spreading even within his own party.

High stakes attend the Gulf leaders’ session, where deepening alarm over Houthi advances dominates the agenda. The Iran-backed militia has seized significant territory in Yemen, targeted Saudi infrastructure, and threatened commercial shipping through the strategic Bab el-Mandab strait.

Political observers across the spectrum will also scrutinize Trump’s first meeting with Rodriguez, who assumed leadership with U.S. backing after American forces detained President Nicolas Maduro in January on drug trafficking charges. While administration allies cite progress on opening Venezuela’s oil sector to U.S. investment, critics argue insufficient pressure has been applied to restore democratic elections.

In talks with the leaders of Denmark and Greenland, Trump is expected to finalize an accord expanding the U.S. military footprint on the Arctic island while restricting access by strategic rivals. Copenhagen and Nuuk hope the agreement will definitively close the chapter on previous suggestions that the United States might seize the territory by force.

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