Aides: Trump will focus on sovereignty, reform

UNITED NATIONS — President Donald Trump takes to the world’s largest stage this week. And many onstage are worried.

Mr. Trump will deliver his first address Tuesday to the full United Nations General Assembly, an annual meeting that draws diplomats and leaders from 193 countries.

Neither Russian President Vladimir Putin nor Chinese President Xi Jinping are coming this year. That gives even more running room to a celebrity president who has shaken global institutions with his “America first” policy and whom diplomats politely describe as unpredictable.

“For a number of leaders, this is going to be their first chance to see him, to judge him, to try to get on his good side,” said Jon Alterman, director of the Middle East program at the bipartisan Center for Strategic and International Studiesin Washington.

Mr. Trump’s aides said he will emphasize core U.S. interests on North Korea, Iran, Syria, terrorism and other key issues in a kind of diplomatic speed-dating meetings that start Monday andrun through Thursday.

Lt. Gen. H.R. McMaster, the White House national security adviser, said Mr. Trump will emphasize the theme of sovereignty in his meetings.

Mr. Trump will meet the leaders of France and Israel on Monday. After his speech Tuesday morning, Mr. Trump will have lunch with U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres and other leaders.

On Wednesday, he will meetwith the leaders of Jordan, Egypt, the United Kingdom and the Palestinian Authority. On Thursday, he meets with the leaders of Turkey, Afghanistan and Ukraine, as well as SouthKorea and Japan.

‘Rocket Man’ Kim

Mr. Trump on Sunday mocked the leader of nuclear-armed North Korea as “Rocket Man” while White House advisers said the isolated nation would face destruction unless it shelves its weapons programs and bellicose threats.

Embassy in Cuba

The Trump administration is considering closing down the U.S. Embassy in Havana following a string of unexplained incidents harming the health of American diplomats in Cuba, Secretary of State RexTillerson said Sunday.

Streaming into Canada

Canadian authorities say as many as 100 asylum seekers from Haiti, Sudan, Turkey,Eritrea and beyond still show up every day at theQuebec border.

No climate deal redo

Gen. McMaster denied Sunday that Mr. Trump is reconsidering his decision to pull out of the Paris climate change accord.