Blinken will avoid Ukraine and the Middle East at a divided UN Security Council

Secretary of State Antony Blinken will make what is likely his final trip in office to the United Nations this week, capping his engagements with the world body after a tumultuous four years that saw war return to Europe and multiple crises in the Middle East.

With the U.N. Security Council more divided than ever, Blinken will chair two meetings of the U.N.’s most powerful body on Thursday. But neither will focus on Russia’s war with Ukraine or the Middle East, where the U.S. has been frequently at odds with permanent members China and Russia and almost always in the minority when it comes to Israel’s war against Hamas in Gaza.

Instead, in an apparent bid to produce a modicum of consensus, Blinken will lead Security Council sessions on artificial intelligence and the current conflict in Sudan, which aid agencies say has sparked a dire humanitarian crisis that has not received the attention it is due.

Here’s a look at what to expect:

Why is America's top diplomat presiding over Security Council meetings?

Blinken has been appearing in person and virtually before the Security Council since March 2021, just after assuming his position as the Biden administration’s top diplomat.

In addition to several one-off council meetings, including one in February 2022 shortly before Russia invaded Ukraine, Blinken has gone to New York for a week every September for the annual General Assembly gathering of world leaders.

The presidency of the Security Council rotates alphabetically every month among its 15 members. This month, it's the U.S. turn.

The country holding the presidency almost always organizes several signature events on topics its government chooses. Presidents, prime ministers and foreign ministers often preside at these meetings, which ministers from other council nations are invited to attend.

Why is the US not highlighting the Middle East or Ukraine?

Russia and China have blocked all council action condemning the invasion of Ukraine.

This has led U.S. officials to believe that a session on the topic, especially as President-elect Donald Trump prepares to take office with a stated goal of ending the war immediately, would likely be a waste of time.

On the Middle East, the U.S. has frequently vetoed council action condemning Israel for its tactics against Hamas in Gaza, leaving it virtually alone at the United Nations in supporting Israel.

Why did the US choose AI?

The U.S. leads the world in developing AI technology, according to a recently released Stanford University index, and it has been in the forefront of U.N. action on AI.

In March, the first U.N. resolution on artificial intelligence was adopted by the 193-member General Assembly. It was sponsored by the U.S. and gives global support to an international effort to ensure the powerful technology benefits all nations, respects human rights, and is “safe, secure and trustworthy.”

Why is the US focusing on Sudan?

The U.S. ambassador to the U.N., Linda Thomas-Greenfield, recalled in early December that the previous U.S. presidency of the Security Council in August 2023 took place just months after war broke out in Sudan between rival generals heading the military and paramilitary forces.

The fighting has left tens of thousands dead, forced millions from their homes and pushed a large swath of Sudan’s population to starvation — creating an often forgotten global crisis the U.S. is seeking to spotlight.

Sudan “is facing one of the most dire humanitarian crises on the face of the planet,” State Department spokesman Vedant Patel told reporters Wednesday.

“And so anything we can do to continue to work with partners at the U.N. and otherwise to shed light on that, figure out what ways we can continue to unearth and solidify humanitarian corridors and continue to push for a political solution, that’s absolutely a priority for us and we will continue to use ways to elevate that,” he said.

Will Blinken confront Russia?

Blinken has represented the U.S. at the Security Council about half a dozen times at meetings ranging from Russia’s invasion of Ukraine to the war in Gaza.

Russia, like the U.S. and China, is a permanent veto-holding member of the 15-nation council, and both have seats at its horseshoe-shaped table.

But apart from pointed disagreements during debates, there have been no confrontations or one-on-one meetings between Blinken and Russian diplomats at previous U.N. meetings.

It is not unusual for Blinken or other senior U.S. officials to attend international meetings and conferences where Russian officials are present, but interactions are rare.

Blinken and Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov were last in the same venue for a meeting this month in Malta but did not speak to each other. The last time they spoke — albeit briefly — is believed to have been in March 2023 at a Group of 20 foreign ministers meeting in New Delhi, India.

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Lee reported from Washington.