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World leaders gathered in New York for the UN General Assembly this week have used the summit to explore new coalitions and cooperation formats that do not place the United States at the center. Yet despite growing efforts to diversify partnerships, Washington remains a key actor in major international issues, according to Politico and Reuters.
Some U.S. allies have increasingly questioned whether they can rely on Washington, while several governments have promoted closer cooperation among middle powers. Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney and Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez, both frequent critics of Trump’s policies, did not seek meetings with the U.S. president during the UN gathering, according to Politico.
However, the week also showed the limits of diplomacy conducted without Washington.
“There is a habit of expecting the United States to step in and provide that connective force, to set the direction. The reality is that the United States is still the main player,” said Allison Minor, a former U.S. official who worked on Gulf policy during the Biden administration and the beginning of Trump’s second term.
Europe seeks greater room for maneuver on Ukraine
European governments have been trying to compensate for what they see as uncertainty over the scale of U.S. military and diplomatic engagement in Ukraine.
Several initiatives developed outside Washington this week. Finland signed an agreement with Ukraine on drones, while France announced a contract to supply Kyiv with radar systems and interceptor drones.
At the same time, Washington remained central to the diplomatic process. Zelenskyy said Trump had given final approval for Ukraine to receive licenses to manufacture Patriot systems and interceptors, although the White House had not publicly confirmed the decision at the time.
U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio also said Washington had invited Russian President Vladimir Putin to the G20 summit in Miami. The proposal exposed differences among European governments, with German Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul welcoming the idea while EU foreign-policy chief Kaja Kallas expressed reservations.
Russian and U.S. officials also maintained contacts in New York. Rubio held a private meeting with Russia’s foreign minister, while Russian negotiator Kirill Dmitriev met Trump’s envoys Jared Kushner and Steve Witkoff, according to CNN.
Polish Foreign Minister Radosław Sikorski meanwhile argued for maintaining close transatlantic cooperation despite growing disagreements.
AI cooperation develops outside the US-China framework
Artificial intelligence provided another example of countries seeking multilateral arrangements outside the two leading AI powers.
Finland and Norway launched an international declaration calling for stronger oversight of frontier AI models. Twenty-two governments backed the initiative, including Australia, Canada, Estonia and the United Arab Emirates, while the United States and China did not sign it.
The declaration calls for stronger safety protocols, independent evaluations and greater international coordination on AI risks.
Anthropic CEO Dario Amodei has also called for common global standards for testing advanced AI systems and warned that poorly managed AI could pose serious risks.
France proposed a separate open-source AI initiative involving sovereign states, while Britain has discussed using its future G20 presidency to promote international AI principles.
None of these proposals has yet emerged as a single global framework. Reuters reported that Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping also discussed AI during their Washington summit, but the two countries did not announce a major new agreement on AI governance.
Gulf states strengthen regional ties
Countries in the Gulf have also been developing additional security partnerships.
Saudi Arabia, Pakistan and Türkiye recently signed a trilateral defense agreement under which an armed attack on one member would be considered an attack on all three. Türkiye has said it is prepared to help meet Saudi Arabia’s military and technical needs under the pact.
France has separately offered military support and equipment to help protect Saudi energy infrastructure, complementing assistance from Britain.
Yet Gulf governments continue to engage directly with Washington. Trump held a closed-door meeting with leaders from the Gulf Cooperation Council during the UN week and emphasized continued cooperation.
The broader picture is therefore mixed: regional powers are expanding their own networks and exploring alternatives, but major security and diplomatic initiatives still frequently depend on U.S. involvement.
China remains another center of gravity
The week also demonstrated that Washington is not the only major power capable of shaping global diplomacy.
Chinese President Xi Jinping skipped the UN General Assembly and traveled directly to Washington for a three-day state visit with Trump. The summit produced a two-month extension of the U.S.-China trade truce but no major new agreements on AI, Taiwan, Iran or Ukraine.
Reuters described the summit as heavy on ceremony and limited in substantive breakthroughs. At the same time, the continuation of direct meetings between Trump and Xi gives both sides an incentive to keep relations relatively stable while broader competition continues.
The UN gathering therefore highlighted an emerging pattern: governments are experimenting with new coalitions and regional partnerships beyond Washington, but the United States remains deeply embedded in the major security, economic and diplomatic processes shaping the international system.
