i want to get michael crowley also into our conversation here. michael, axios is reporting that the absence of some of these other members of the security council could, quote, allow biden to present himself as what one of his close advisers called the president of the world. is that the goal for the u.s. administration? >> well, you know, the american president is always the star of the u.n. general assembly. his speech tends to set the tone. president biden might appreciate less competition, but i don't know that it makes a measurable difference. i hope he feels secure in his status as the leader of the free world and on balance, you know, i agree with what people have said already that i think president biden, u.s. officials will probably prefer the participation at least of the uk and france, because, you know, i think the point that i would make, you guys have covered the basis really well, but just consider the context of this speech, okay. a lot of the substance is going to be familiar. the world has to stand behind ukraine, we can't let u

with me, michael crowley, diplomatic correspondent for the "new york times."e talked to declined to say how many atacms they might provide or even when, but why is this so important, and in general, is the feeling that zelenskyy leaves the united states getting a lot of what he wanted? >> well, he has really wanted these missiles for a long time. the range on these missiles really lets the ukrainians strike deeper behind russian lines, trying to hit among other things command posts and makes it a lot harder for the russians to manage the front having to push them back, extend supply lines, keep the commanders farther away, and this has been on the ukrainian wish list for a long time. here's the thing, what u.s. officials have said for a long time is we're thinking about giving them these missiles, they have some reservations, partly because of the range they could potentially be used to strike into russia, which is a big red line for president biden. he does not want american weapons striking into russia. what they also say is this is not a silver bullet. ther