US does not want China relationship to 'tip into conflict', Biden tells UN

US President Joe Biden and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky take centre-stage at the UN General Assembly on Tuesday to address world leaders on the war in Ukraine that has divided the global body. Biden has urged world leaders to stand with Kyiv against Russian aggression, while also touching on Washington's tense relationship with China.

The United States is seeking to "responsibly manage" its rivalry with China to avoid any possible war, US President Joe Biden has told the UN General Assembly.

"When it comes to China, I want to be clear and consistent. We seek to responsibly manage the competition between our countries so it does not tip into conflict," Biden said in a speech.

Touching at length on the war in Ukraine, the US president appealed to world leaders to stand with Kyiv against Russian invaders – hoping Republicans in Congress will also take notice.

"Russia believes that the world will grow weary and allow it to brutalize Ukraine without consequence," Biden said in his speech to UNGA. "If we allow Ukraine to be carved up, is the independence of any nation secure?"

Biden has made rallying US allies to support Ukraine a leading component of US foreign policy, arguing that the world must send a clear signal to Russian President Vladimir Putin that he will not be able to outlast the West.

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Brazil's President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva has called for negotiations to end the war in Ukraine, saying "no solution will be lasting if it is not based on dialogue".

Addressing the United Nations General Assembly, Lula said: "I have reiterated that work needs to be done to create space for negotiations."

Brazil's leader has been criticized in the West for failing to openly condemn Russia's invasion of Ukraine and suggesting presidents Vladimir Putin and Volodymyr Zelensky were equally to blame for the war.

United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres has kicked off this year's UN General Assembly with a stinging rebuke of Russia's war in Ukraine.

Moscow's invasion marked a violation of the UN Charter that "has unleashed a nexus of horror", Gutierres told the annual gathering of world leaders.

He warned that the world badly needs Ukrainian food and Russian food and fertilisers to stabilise markets and guarantee food security, adding – to the applause of leaders – "I will not give up on my efforts to make it happen."

(FRANCE 24 with AP and AFP)