UN General Assembly 2015

Robert Mugabe, the 91-year-old leader of Zimbabwe, deviated slightly from his prepared remarks during his Monday evening address to the United Nations General Assembly, to do something that he does frequently: slur against homosexuality. “We are not gays,” he shouted. And it’s worse than it sounds.

Mugabe made the comment in the course of a point about “double standards,” which is usually dictator code for “I’m tired of Western countries calling out my human rights abuses,” and about “new rights,” which is usually code for “I long for the days when discrimination against certain groups was considered acceptable.”

Barack Obama and Vladimir Putin’s relationship has always been, shall we say, fraught, but on Monday they shared a toast at the United Nations that looks to have been, even by their high standards, pretty weird.

There’s so much to take in here. The nuclear powers side-eye. Putin’s almost triumphalist smirk; Obama’s undisguised loathing (there’s an unmistakable “let’s get this over with” look on his face) of the man with whom he’s touching glasses. The discrepancy in size between the two men — look at how much farther Obama’s arm reached than Putin’s — adds another layer to it all. But their eyes sure are locked.

President Obama spoke to the United Nations General Assembly on Monday morning. His speech, which came shortly before Russian President Vladimir Putin’s first UNGA address since 2005, heavily criticized Putin. It also focused on Syria, on his criticisms of authoritarian regimes, and his case for diplomatic measures such as the Iran nuclear deal and his reopening of ties with Cuba. The full text of Obama’s speech, as transcribed and delivered by the White House press office, follows:

Mr. President, Mr. Secretary General, fellow delegates, ladies and gentlemen: Seventy years after the founding of the United Nations, it is worth reflecting on what, together, the members of this body have helped to achieve.

President Obama, in a United Nations General Assembly speech otherwise laced with explicit and implicit criticism of Russian President Vladimir Putin, nonetheless said he would be willing to work with Russia and Iran to find a solution to Syria’s civil war.

Here is what Obama said: