In a speech in which he violated some of the basic rules of diplomacy, US President Donald Trump used the rostrum of the UN General Assembly to present himself as the world's main peacemaker - ending wars that the UN is unable to stop - and as a statesman who restored the golden age of the US, writes the Spanish newspaper “Pais“, writes BTA.
He also presented himself as an opponent of anything that might remind of multilateralism, including sustainable development - one of the stated main goals of the UN, the publication notes.
Trump's speech significantly exceeded the allotted time for speeches, which for other world leaders is kept to the minute, but in his case no one dared to stop him - the red warning light did not come on, commented “Pais“. In his speech, the Republican began with jokes and witticisms before quickly beginning to criticize the world order, the role and effectiveness of the UN, and even the policies of some member states, warning of the “death of Western Europe” due to migration, the Spanish newspaper said.
In his hour-long speech, the president touched on many of his favorite complaints and provoked sighs and awkward laughter among the delegates, the British newspaper “Independent“ wrote.
Focusing on Britain as an example of the failure of the West and just days after enjoying dinner with the King and Queen at Windsor Castle, he claimed that London had introduced Islamic Sharia law and called Mayor Sadiq Khan “a terrible, terrible mayor“, the newspaper said.
With his speech, Trump risks losing all the goodwill he gained during a historic state visit to the United Kingdom last week, during which he declared that he “loves Britain“, the “Independent“ commented.
During In his speech, he abruptly switched from boasting to harsh criticism of friends and enemies, writes the German newspaper “Neue Züricher Zeitung“. Climate change is a lie, Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro is a drug trafficker, wind farms are pathetic, and open borders will destroy Europe, the publication lists some of the diverse topics the American president has spoken about.
The United States has not been particularly committed to multilateralism for years, but recently Trump has been actively working against international organizations and, unlike his predecessors, has not bothered to maintain a decent tone, the publication notes.
With his unwavering approach, Trump continues to isolate the United States, and yesterday this was demonstrated by the statements of the heads of state of some of the countries that traditionally do not take positions in support of one or another of the power blocs, commented “Neue Züricher Zeitung“.
Trump's first speech to the UN in 2018 caused laughter among other leaders, but this time his direct attack on the world organization and US allies was met with almost complete silence, writes the French newspaper “Le Monde“.
The American president harshly criticized his European allies for failing to stop oil purchases from Russia, the publication states. He criticized China and India on the same occasion, but Moscow got off relatively lightly, commented “Le Monde“.
In a post on social networks a little later, however, Trump said that he had changed his mind about the war “after I got to know and fully understand the military and economic situation in Ukraine/Russia and after seeing the economic problems it is causing Russia“, the newspaper points out.
Amid the surprise in Europe at the sudden change in Trump's position, concerns have arisen in some capitals that the US president's message may not be exactly what it seems, commented “Le Monde“.
The references to the EU and NATO, combined with his closing comment “Good luck to all!“, have raised concerns that he may be trying to absolve himself of responsibility for the conflict, the French publication concludes.