At U.N., Obama takes Russia to task for actions in Ukraine, Syria

President Obama delivers his address during the United Nations Sustainable Development Summit at U.N. headquarters in New York on Sept. 27. (Matt Campbell/EPA)

By Juliet Eilperin September 28

UNITED NATIONS — President Obama blasted Russian President Vladimir Putin's approach to other countries Monday, suggesting in a speech at the U.N. General Assembly that the world's nations must uphold international order in Syria and Ukraine or risk global instability.

But at the same time, Obama made an overture to its sometime adversary, saying the U.S. would work with any nation to try to bring an end to fighting in Syria that has dragged on for four and-a-half years.

The 42-minute speech underscored the delicate task Obama faces during his visit here as he seeks to enlist Putin's aid in ending the intractable Syrian conflict while making it clear that he does not condone Russia's annexation of Crimea or support for both separatists in southeast Ukraine and Syrian President Bashar al-Assad.

In his speech, Obama praised the international order that has "underwritten unparalleled advances in human liberty and prosperity."

"This progress is real," the president said. "And yet, we come together today knowing that the marks of human progress never travels in a straight line, that our work is far from complete. That dangerous currents pulling us back into a darker, disordered world."

Obama took direct aim at Russia during his speech, saying, "We are told that such retrenchment is required to beat back disorder, that is the only way to step out terrorism, or prevent foreign meddling.

"But I stand before you today believing in my core that we, the nations of the world, cannot return to the old ways of conflict and coercion," he said. "We cannot look backward. ... And if we cannot work together more effectively, we will all suffer the consequences."

The president said Russia's acts of aggression had backfired, bringing Ukrainians closer to Europe and damaging Russia's economy. "We cannot stand by when the sovereignty and territorial integrity of a nation is flagrantly violated."

Still, Obama left the door open to brokering a peace with Putin and others even as he insisted Assad — a Russian ally — must relinquish power.

"The United States is prepared to work with any nation, including Russia and Iran, to resolve the conflict," he said. "But we must recognize that there cannot be, after so much bloodshed, so much carnage, a return to the pre-war status quo."

Putin — here for the first time in a decade — said in his own speech to the General Assembly that the West had tried to export "so-called democratic revolutions" to the Middle East and Africa and was largely responsible for the chaos in those regions.

The Russian leader called for Western cooperation in supporting Assad, saying it was "an enormous mistake" and a violation of international law to try to oust him given the fact that Assad's military forces were best prepared to defeat the Islamic State.

[At U.N., Obama argues for diplomacy over military force]

Later, Putin and Obama will meet for their first extended one-on-one session in over a year. The two leaders are slated to talk about how to manage conflicts in Syria and Ukraine, where the two countries are at loggerheads.

The tensions between the two were obvious Sunday, when Putin labeled U.S.support for rebels in Syria as illegal and mocked as ineffective a U.S. program that has been unable to train and arm rebels.

Russia also just signed an intelligence-sharing agreement with Iraq, Iran and Syria aimed at countering the Islamic State, a pact that was negotiated without American involvement.

The ongoing crisis in Syria looms large at this year's gathering. U.N. Secretary General Ban Ki-moon praised the European countries who have provided asylum for those those fleeing unrest in the Mideast and North Africa.

"At the same time, I urge Europe to do more," he said. "After the Second World War, it was Europeans seeking the world’s assistance."

Mogens Lykketoft, the U.N. General Assembly president, said he and others were "impatiently" waiting the day when world powers would come together "to stop the senseless and horrifying bloodshed in Syria and in doing so, address the root causes of the refugee crisis."

Brazilian President Dilma Rousseff, the first world leader to address the General Assembly on Monday, drew applause when she noted that her country has already provided shelter to many Syrian refugees. 

Brazil loosened restrictions two years ago, and has issued more than 7,000 visas to Syrian refugees at this point — more than any other country in Latin America.

"We have our arms open to welcome refugees," she said. "We are a multi-ethnic nation."

While relations with Russia rank highest on Obama's priority list during this visit, his agenda includes other important bilateral meetings. The president will meet privately Monday with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, when Obama will press Modi to adopt a more ambitious target for cutting India's carbon emissions in the coming decades. On Tuesday, he will sit down with Cuban President Raul Castro and Kazakhstan President Nursultan Nazarbayev.

 

Juliet Eilperin is The Washington Post's White House bureau chief, covering domestic and foreign policy as well as the culture of 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue. She is the author of two books—one on sharks, and another on Congress, not to be confused with each other—and has worked for the Post since 1998.