World leaders are meeting in New York for the United Nations General Assembly High-level Week, which begins Tuesday and is described as the world's signature diplomatic event. The wars in the Middle East, Ukraine and Sudan are expected to be major issues, alongside rapidly advancing artificial intelligence. Tech leaders have sounded the alarm about AI, and its potential threats to humanity have dominated global headlines. The Middle East—specifically US President Donald Trump's war against Iran and its worldwide fallout—is expected to dominate this year's gathering. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky will urge allies not to lose focus on Ukraine's defence needs as Russia retaliates for long-range drone strikes against its energy infrastructure. UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said ahead of the meeting that the situation was worsening and that there was no improvement anywhere. He said: "When we see the Russia-Ukraine war, and when we see the whole Middle East, every day things get a little bit worse."