Zelenskyy in Washington, Spain Tries to Form a Government, UN Spotlights Nuclear Weapons, and More

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy meets with U.S. President Joe Biden and members of Congress to ensure continued U.S. military aid amid Ukraine's counteroffensive against Russia; the Spanish parliament attempts to choose a prime minister, with both Alberto Núñez Feijóo and serving President Pedro Sánchez reliant on smaller fringe parties to secure a majority; the United Nations observes the International Day for the Total Elimination of Nuclear Weapons despite the continuing global prevalence of nuclear weapons; and relations between Canada and India are frayed after Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau accused India of ordering the death of prominent Canadian Sikh leader Hardeep Singh Nijjar.

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Hosts
  • Robert McMahon
    Managing Editor
  • Carla Anne Robbins
    Senior Fellow
Credits

Ester Fang - Associate Podcast Producer

Gabrielle Sierra - Editorial Director and Producer

Climate Change

The United Arab Emirates, a major oil and gas producer, hosts the 2023 UN Climate Change Conference (COP28), where hundreds of world leaders meet to discuss limiting global warming and helping states that are most vulnerable to the effects of climate change; Russia arbitrarily detains a journalist with U.S.-funded Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty; and the World Health Organization asks China for information on a spike in respiratory illness.

Ukraine

Ukraine’s counteroffensive against Russian forces stalls as the future of U.S. aid remains uncertain; Argentina gears up for its presidential election runoff while inflation rates soar; Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan arrives in Berlin to address refugee flows and the Israel–Hamas war with German Chancellor Olaf Scholz; and David Cameron returns to the United Kingdom government as foreign secretary.

Indo-Pacific

The Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) Leaders’ Summit begins in San Francisco with U.S. President Joe Biden and Chinese President Xi Jinping set to meet on the sidelines; French President Emmanuel Macron hosts a humanitarian conference to discuss new aid options for civilians in the Gaza Strip; the Arab League holds an emergency summit in Riyadh at the request of the Palestinian Authority and Saudi Arabia; and the United States and China discuss nuclear arms control.

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