Putin Scheduled to Address UN General Assembly

(Moscow Times – themoscowtimes.com – Anna Dolgov – July 28, 2015)

Russian President Vladimir Putin will attend this year’s United Nations General Assembly in September, according to a provisional list of speakers released by the UN.

Putin plans to address the gathering of the world’s heads of states and governments on its opening day, Sept. 28, according to the list circulated at the UN on Monday.

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov confirmed Putin intended to appear, but said the plan was not yet final, Russia’s state-run news agency Sputnik reported.

“I can confirm that such a possibility is being considered, preparations are underway,” Peskov was quoted as saying.

Putin’s visit, if it takes place, would come after a decade-long break. The Russian leader previously addressed the UN General Assembly in 2000, 2003 and 2005.

Ukraine’s President Petro Poroshenko is scheduled to speak on Sept. 29, the day after Putin’s planned appearance, and Belarussian President Alexander Lukashenko also plans to attend.

Also on the schedule is Chinese President Xi Jinping, who is slated to address the General Assembly for the first time.

While the preliminary list is a good indication of who might attend, the lists of General Assembly speakers have been known to see numerous changes in the weeks and days leading up to the high-level meeting.