Closing summary
We’re winding up this live coverage of day two of the UN general assembly and Xi Jinping’s arrival in the US for high-stakes talks with Donald Trump. You can read our full reports on the UN forum and the talks summit, and below is a recap of the day’s main news. Thanks for being with us.
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Donald Trump welcomed Xi Jinping to the US and took the rare step of greeting the Chinese leader on the tarmac at an air force base outside Washington DC as Xi began a three-day state visit.
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Xi said China and the US should be “partners rather than rivals” and that Chinese and US interests were “deeply intertwined”. “The great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation and the goal of making America great again can fully go hand in hand,” he said in written comments. Trade, artificial intelligence and the Iran war are expected to be prominent in the talks.
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The US and China agreed to a two-month extension of their trade war truce to 10 January, US treasury secretary Scott Bessent said as Xi arrived. The deal came after lengthy talks between Bessent and his Chinese counterpart, vice-premier He Lifeng.
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Venezuela’s interim leader told the UN her country was coming back strong after “setbacks” this year and thanked Trump for being willing to resume diplomatic relations after the US military spirited her predecessor Nicolás Maduro out of the country. “Today, Venezuela is being reborn,” Delcy Rodríguez told the general assembly in New York.
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Iranian president Masoud Pezeshkian described the US as the true bully and terrorist in the Middle East while insisting Iran had always shown a commitment to the negotiating table. In a defiant speech to the UN general assembly Pezeshkian repeatedly vowed that Tehran would never bend the knee to the US. But he balanced defiance with a willingness to talk – see Patrick Wintour’s report here.
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Volodymyr Zelenskyy warned Moscow that Ukraine would strike back and make the coming winter deeply painful for Russia if the two sides could not agree a truce on energy attacks before the cold sets in. He urged leaders to keep choking Russia’s revenues and impede its war efforts, while singling out Vladimir Putin’s role in driving the war.
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Polish president Karol Nawrocki warned that without accountability, international law was not more than “a declaration without any real power”.
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Asian markets were mixed on Thursday as traders eyed the Trump-Xi summit. Hopes of business deals have been dimmed by there being no Chinese CEOs in Xi’s delegation, Agence France-Presse quoted two sources as saying. Oil prices cooled after jumping sharply.
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President Javier Milei condemned the UN as he warned that Argentina would take “matters into our own hands” in its dispute with Britain over the sovereignty of the Falkland Islands, while accusing the UN of being filled with “parasites”. See Daniel Boffey’s report here.
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Syria’s interim president Ahmad al-Sharaa harshly criticised Israel’s occupation of southern Syria and told the UN general assembly the Golan Heights was an inseparable part of his country.
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The US has invited Vladimir Putin to attend the G20 summit of world leaders being held in Miami in December, US secretary of state Marco Rubio said.
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Xi and Trump’s summit this week will be the second time the leaders of the world’s two biggest economies have talked face to face this year. The last time – in Beijing in May – there was much talk of building a “strategic stability” between the two powers but little by way of concrete outcomes.
Few anticipate any major breakthroughs this week – but one area in which the two leaders may reach some consensus is on artificial intelligence safety.
Amy Hawkins and David Smith have more here:
What’s high on the agenda as Donald Trump and Xi Jinping hold their high-stakes talks?
The last time the Chinese leader was hosted in Washington – by Barack Obama in 2015 – the topics included cybercrime, technology, the climate crisis and human rights. This time Xi is meeting a US president who has overhauled the world order and recalibrated the US-China relationship. And Trump is contending with a China that is in a much stronger position than it was 10 years ago.
Amy Hawkins goes through five things to watch for at the talks.
Asian markets have been mixed on Thursday as traders eye the much-anticipated Trump-Xi summit.
The Chinese leader’s arrival in Washington coincided with US treasury Scott Bessent saying the countries had agreed to extend their trade truce by two months to 10 January. But hopes of business deals have been dimmed by there being no Chinese CEOs in Xi’s delegation, Agence France-Presse reports two sources as saying.
In contrast, top US tech bosses including the leaders of major AI companies are set to attend a state dinner for Xi Jinping on Thursday.
Pre-summit talks between Bessent and his Chinese counterpart He Lifeng included discussion of creating a communication channel for AI concerns.
Hong Kong, Shanghai and Taipei were in the red on Thursday, while South Korea’s tech-heavy Kospi was closed for a holiday. Japan’s Nikkei was up 1.6% as it reopened after a three-day break.
Tokyo’s gains came as the benchmark 10-year JGB yield rose to 3.055%, hitting a 30-year high, after US bond yields jumped.
Oil prices cooled after jumping sharply as world leaders at the UN general assembly offered little to suggest progress in ending the turmoil in the Middle East. Brent crude – the international benchmark – was down 1% in early Asian trade after soaring more than 3% the previous day.
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Hopes for a new China commitment to buy Boeing planes are sinking ahead of Thursday’s Trump-Xi summit, Reuters is quoting two sources as saying, with negotiations still in flux.
The US aerospace giant is instead trying to finalise a May deal for China to buy 200 planes, rather than earlier hopes of securing new commitments for hundreds more jets, the people briefed on the matter said on condition of anonymity.
The provisional deal struck in tandem with Donald Trump’s last summit with Xi Jinping in Beijing put Boeing back into competition for Chinese jetliner orders. Boeing had been effectively shut out since 2017, while European rival Airbus had continued to expand its market share in one of the world’s biggest aviation markets.
More now on Xi Jinping saying China and the US should be “partners rather than rivals”. He also said: “The Chinese and US peoples have enjoyed long-standing friendly exchanges, and our interests are deeply intertwined.”
Xi’s written comments – published by state news agency Xinhua – came hours after he was greeting by Donald Trump on arrival in the US ahead their high-stakes talks. Trade, artificial intelligence and the Iran war – including Beijing’s support for Tehran – are expected to be prominent.
The Chinese leader said he looked forward to “in-depth exchanges” with Trump on “major issues concerning our bilateral relations and the global situation”, Xinhua reported.
The countries should “work towards each other to foster a stable relationship characterised by cooperation as the mainstay, competition within bounds, manageable differences and peaceful prospects”, Xi said.
The great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation and the goal of making America great again can fully go hand in hand.
The two sides should “chart a correct path for two major powers” to get along, Xi was quoted as saying.
I am confident we can achieve this.
I believe that with the joint efforts of both sides, this visit will yield fruitful results, enhance the wellbeing of our two peoples and bring new hope for world peace.
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Addresses to UN general assembly conclude
Uzbekistan’s representative Saidi Mirziyoyeva has just finished speaking to the UN general assembly and that concludes the day’s addresses – it’s almost 9.30pm in New York City.
The speeches in the “general debate” continue on Thursday morning, with Zimbabwe’s president Emmerson Mnangagwa first up.
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In case you missed this, Delcy Rodríguez earlier celebrated what she called a “historic” meeting with Donald Trump in New York, posing for a smiley photo with him less than nine months after he ordered the abduction of her boss, Nicolás Maduro.
The former foes met at a five-star hotel a few blocks from Trump Tower in Manhattan late on Tuesday on the sidelines of the UN general assembly, Tom Phillips reports. The hotel is about 11km (7 miles) from the Brooklyn prison where Maduro has been held since he was snatched during a special forces raid on Caracas in January.
On the eve of Tuesday’s encounter, a reporter asked Rodríguez if she would be visiting Maduro – under whom she served as vice-president – during her stay in New York. She did not reply.
But she did find time to meet Trump at the luxury Lotte New York Palace hotel, with the get-together seen as a key part of Rodríguez’s push for international legitimacy after years of Venezuela’s diplomatic isolation under Maduro’s dictatorship.
See the full report here:
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Returning to Venezuela for a moment, interim leader Delcy Rodríguez also told the UN her country would hold elections.
“I want to state this very clearly before this general assembly: there will be elections in Venezuela,” she said, while giving no timeline.
Many Venezuelans have been hopeful that the ongoing US-backed political transition talks between the interim government and parts of the opposition would lead to a democratic election, as AFP reports. But those hopes were dented early this month when Donald Trump – speaking shortly after striking a huge oil deal with Caracas – brushed off the notion of a vote in the near future.
Rodríguez echoed those comments at the time.
Rodríguez replaced president Nicolas Maduro after his ouster by US forces in January, and she has served as a pliant ally to Washington since then.
As mentioned earlier, while addressing the UN general assembly she thanked the Trump administration for its “willingness to resume the path of diplomatic relations and cooperation with Venezuela”.
China and US should be partners not rivals, says Xi
Xi Jinping said after arriving that Beijing and Washington should be partners rather than rivals, Chinese state news agency Xinhua is reporting.
With joint efforts, the US visit was sure to be fruitful, Xi said in written remarks, according to Xinhua.
Separately Xi was also quoted as suggesting in his statement that the two sides “should move toward each other and work together to build a stable relationship – one where cooperation is the mainstay, competition is kept within proper limits, differences are managed and peace can be expected”.
On returning to the White House, Donald Trump said of travelling to greet Xi’s plane on arrival: “I think they appreciate it, tremendous people.”
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On Xi Jinping’s arrival in the US, his plane was met with a lavish arrival ceremony that included a 30-metre-long red carpet flanked by US service members, a military flyover by two B-1 bombers and a presentation of the flags and national anthems of both countries.
US presidents typically welcome foreign leaders at the White House, but Trump and first lady Melania Trump travelled to the military base just outside Washington DC to personally greet the Chinese leader and his wife Peng Liyuan’s on touching down.
The pageantry will continue with a formal state welcome on the South Lawn of the White House, a private tea with the US president and first lady and a tour of the National Archives, among other events.
See the full report from Ariana Baio here:
Rodríguez says Venezuela 'is being reborn'
Venezuela’s acting president has told the UN her country is coming back strong after “setbacks” this year and thanked Donald Trump for being willing to resume diplomatic relations after the US military spirited her predecessor out of the country.
“Today, Venezuela is being reborn,” Delcy Rodríguez said in addressing the general assembly for the first time since she came to power.
Rodríguez took over in Venezuela after the US military’s raid in January that captured Nicolás Maduro and brought him to the US to face drug trafficking charges.
This is the first trip to the US by a Venezuelan head of state since 2018, when Maduro travelled to New York to take part in the UN general assembly, the Associated Press reports. He is currently being held not far from the organisation’s headquarters as he awaits trial.
“I do not promise you an easy way forward,” Rodríguez said, saying she was addressing her people.
Rebuilding our national soul will be the priority.
More on Scott Bessent saying the US and China had agreed to a two-month extension of their trade war truce, which had been due to expire on 10 November.
The deal came after marathon talks between the US treasury secretary and his Chinese counterpart, vice-premier He Lifeng, in New York on Sunday and in Washington on Wednesday.
The announcement came just as Chinese leader Xi Jinping arrived in the US on Thursday evening for a high-stakes summit with Donald Trump.
“We have agreed today that we will extend what we call the Busan agreement, the economic detente between the two countries that was scheduled to end on November 10th,” Bessent told Fox News.
That is going to be extended until January 10th to give us more time to see what we can do on the economic front.
The truce, which took effect last year, came after Trump struck a deal with Xi. The agreement saw both sides agree to reduce tit-for-tat tariffs and for the US to extend certain tariff exclusions.
Washington had also agreed at the time to suspend responsive actions after an investigation into China’s shipbuilding sector, as AFP reports.
Bessent on Wednesday also flagged the possibility that both sides could reduce tariffs on $30bn of non-sensitive goods.
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A selection of pictures here from the cordial greeting given to Xi Jinping and his wife Peng Liyuan from Donald and Melania Trump at Joint Base Andrews, Maryland, outside Washington DC.
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US and China agree to extend trade war truce, says Bessent
The US treasury secretary is saying the US and China have agreed to extend “the Busan agreement”.
Scott Bessent’s comments to Fox News came after he met Chinese vice-premier He Lifeng before Xi Jinping’s state visit to Washington this week.
“We met today to see if we could do a bigger deal as opposed to just a series of smaller things,” Bessent was quoted as saying on Wednesday. “We have agreed today that we will extend what we call the Busan agreement.”
The extension would go until 10 January, he said.
The Busan agreement refers to the trade war truce Trump and Xi agreed to in Busan, South Korea, in October last year.
Updated
Trump greets Xi at airport in rare personal welcome to US
Xi Jinping has arrived in Washington and been greeted by Donald Trump at the airport instead of waiting for him to drive to the White House.
The decision to greet the Chinese leader there has been reported as showing how far Trump is going to honour China’s leader as he makes his first state visit to the US capital in more than a decade.
Trump and First Lady Melania Trump greeted Xi and his wife Peng Liyuan after the Chinese president descended from his plane at Joint Base Andrews, a military airfield outside Washington, for the start of a three-day state visit.
Updated
The day so far
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Iran’s president, Masoud Pezeshkian, turned the tables on Donald Trump, describing the US as the true bully and terrorist in the Middle East while insisting that Iran had always shown a commitment to the negotiating table. In a defiant speech to the UN general assembly in New York, his first since the US and Israel launched an all-out war on Iran, Pezeshkian repeatedly vowed that Tehran would never bend the knee to the US. But he balanced defiance with a willingness to talk, saying: “It must be understood by President Trump and those who seek to bully us that we are ready for dialogue and diplomacy and negotiations but without the language of force.” Here’s Patrick Wintour’s report.
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Volodymyr Zelenskyy warned Moscow that Ukraine would strike back and make the coming winter deeply painful for Russia, if the two sides cannot agree a truce on energy attacks before the cold sets in. “Ukrainians understand that this winter could be very harsh for us. But in response, we will have no choice but to make it painful for Russia too,” Zelenskyy told member nations, as he urged leaders to keep choking Russia’s revenues and impede its war efforts.
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Zelenskyy also used his address to single out Putin’s role in driving the war, repeatedly describing him derisively as “patient zero” and “the one from whom this idea of war keeps spreading further”. He said: “That is why ’patient zero’ must be stopped. He must be denied the space to act – and the space to spread this evil further.” Ukraine did not choose this war, he reiterated, stressing that partial victory (in Donetsk) would never be enough for Putin.
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Polish president Karol Nawrocki warned that without accountability, international law is not more than “a declaration without any real power”. “Russia is destablising the situation in Europe through open aggression, hybrid operations, acts of subversion and sabotage, and by ignoring successive resolutions of this assembly,” he said, adding: “If aggression is not met with an adequate response, it becomes an invitation to repeat it.”
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Javier Milei condemned the UN as he warned that Argentina would take “matters into our own hands” in its dispute with Britain over the sovereignty of the Falkland Islands. In a caustic speech, the Argentinian president criticised the UN for being ineffective when it came to the long-running tensions over the British overseas territory in the south Atlantic known in Argentina as the Malvinas. “An organisation that set out to defend the territorial sovereignty of its members decided to look the other way regarding the situation of the Falkland Islands,” Milei said of the UN, adding that Argentina was willing to act unilaterally over recent oil exploration near the territory.
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Milei told the assembly that Argentina would “not remain indifferent to those who exploit resources under illegal foreign occupation”. “Argentina is not going to sit around waiting for the UN and the international community to live up to their own mandate,” he said. “We’re going to take matters into our own hands.” Here’s Daniel Boffey’s report.
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Syria’s interim president harshly criticized Israel’s occupation of southern Syria and said the Golan Heights is an inseparable part of his country. In a speech to the UN General Assembly, Ahmad al-Sharaa said that Israel has carried out more than 500 air and artillery strikes on the country since he took power nearly two years ago. Israel has also carried out 1,200 land incursions and detained nearly 300 people, he said.
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The United States has invited Russian president Vladimir Putin to attend the G20 summit of world leaders being held in Miami in December, US secretary of state Marco Rubio said. “In order to solve problems, you have to meet with the people that you disagree with or the people that you might have some issues with, so we’ve invited president Putin to the G20.
Kenyan president William Ruto argued for the necessity of reforming the UN security council and for greater African representation.
“On the greatest questions of war and peace, five nations possess a power that the other 188 do not,” Ruto said.
Demanding a permanent seat on the council for Africa, he added: “We cannot manage transformation with institutions that refuse to transform themselves.”
Namibian president Netumbo Nandi-Ndaitwah joined growing calls for a woman to be elected as the next United Nations secretary-general.
Addressing member nations, Nandi-Ndaitwah noted that no woman has held the position since the organisation was established in 1945, and said the UN’s leadership should reflect the gender equality it promotes across the international system.
“Namibia therefore, believes that it is time that a woman is elected as secretary-general of our Organisation,” she said.
Panama calls for region to have permanent seat on UN security council
Earlier, Panama’s president, José Raúl Mulino, also called for for the Latin America and Caribbean region to have a permanent seat on the UN security council.
I wish to reiterate before this general assembly the need for Latin America and the Caribbean to hold positions with greater decision-making power on the security council, specifically a permanent position, as a permanent member of this organization’s security council.
We are a leading region in food, minerals, biodiversity, and [have] a deep commitment to peace and integration.
He urged the UN to address urgent issues including migration and the climate crisis, adding:
We must acknowledge that citizens do not believe these kinds of gatherings benefit them. Herein lies one of the reasons why trust must be restored.
Our conclusion is unequivocal: the world does not need less United Nations; it needs a United Nations that works better.
'We are not the ones seeking confrontation,' says Polish president in face of Russian aggression
Polish president Karol Nawrocki spoke of the grave importance of accountability if there is to be lasting peace and “if international law is to be anything other than a declaration without any real power”.
The absence of accountability in the international community has “sent a signal [to aggressive states] that violations of international law, aggression, and imperialist policies could go unpunished,” he told member nations.
It is precisely this lack of justice - this sort of original sin of the postwar order - that creates space for the return of old aggressive ambitions and methods of operation.
He went on: “Russia is destablising the situation in Europe through open aggression, hybrid operations, acts of subversion and sabotage, and by ignoring successive resolutions of this assembly.”
Contempt for international law must not become the norm.
As a country that neighbours Russia, he said he wanted to make it clear on behalf of Poland that “we are not the ones seeking confrontation”.
We are strengthening our alliances, developing our military, and modernizing its equipment not to wage war, but to prevent it … Our goal is deterrence and defence.
Nato remains the “guarantor of transatlantic security”, he said.
“Russia is carrying out actions aimed at undermining the foundations of international stability,” Nawrocki went on.
If aggression is not met with an adequate response, it becomes an invitation to repeat it.
Updated
Russian presidential envoy Kirill Dmitriev is heading to the United States on Wednesday, where he will meet with Trump administration representatives Steve Witkoff, Jared Kushner and others, two sources familiar with preparations for the talks have told Reuters.
The sources said that Dmitriev’s visit to the US, which was agreed upon with Vladimir Putin, will take place in New York on the sidelines of the UN general assembly and will follow up on a meeting between Putin and US representatives at the Kremlin earlier this month.
One source told Reuters that the aim of the visit is to keep the Russia-US dialogue and the peace-making effort going.
President of Panama José Raúl Mulino is now up. He kicks off by applauding multiculturalism and the role of the UN in a world of “such volatility”, but calls for greater leadership.
“We must restore trust,” he says, warning that illegal people trafficking was taking a heavy toll on the country socially and economically, but also on some sensitive natural environments in Panama.
“We must make headway together on the key issues,” he says. This includes world trade, with Panama’s canal playing a key global role, but he warns it is increasingly at risk from heavy rain and flooding which is worsening due to the climate crisis, despite Panama being a carbon negative country.
President of the Central African Republic, Faustin-Archange Touadéra, is now on the podium, speaking about the country’s ongoing sectarian conflict and political instability.
“A fragile country needs security for development,” he says, calling for international support. “Peace cannot be decreed, it must be built day after day through dialogue, justice and shared development.”
“Holding out your hand to yesterday’s opponent is not a sign of weakness”, he says.
He also warns about the worsening impacts due to the global climate crisis and calls for a greater role for women in public life to help end instability in the country.
Zelenskyy ends by describing Russia’s continued war as “madness”, urging global action to secure peace.
“Please, everyone here, don’t be the last to join those who defend life. Be the first to say ‘we guarantee security’. Thank you to everyone who helps and everyone who stands with us – with our people, with our children.”
Zelenskyy urges leaders to keep choking Russia’s revenues and impede its war efforts, telling the UN General Assembly that “Russia’s revenues must remain a target.”
“When someone gives Russia more money through trade, they give this war more time. And that is exactly why we insist on limiting trade with the aggressor, and why we are burning Russia’s revenues ourselves,” he says.
Zelenskyy warns that continued Russian attacks on Ukraine’s energy system would result in retaliation in kind.
“Ukrainians understand that this winter could be very hard for us. But in response we will have no choice but to make it painful for Russia too.”
Updated
'Ukraine did not choose this war': Zelenskyy addresses UN general assembly
Zelenskyy is using his appearance at the UN General Assembly to remind delegates of the scale and impact of the war on Ukraine, claiming that even a partial victory would not be enough for Vladimir Putin.
Putin will claim Donetsk isn’t enough for him, and will come for other Ukrainian cities, Zelenskyy says.
“Russia has used over 2,100 missiles against us. More than 950 of them were ballistic missiles.”
“They launch jet-powered Shahed [missiles] every hour… We are fighting them 24/7”.
He says this is “to make life harder for the economy and to disrupt our lives. They disrupt children at school. Would your country survive something like this?”
“Ukraine did not choose this war,” Zelensky adds.
Updated
A reminder that Zelenskyy’s speech comes after he met with Donald Trump on the sidelines of the gathering in New York yesterday, after the US president insisted he was working with both sides to end the war, despite little evidence of Vladimir Putin being open to any settlement.
“It’s going to happen, I think, more quickly than people understand,” Trump said in his UN speech.
But Washington has since held separate talks with Moscow - and today said it had invited Putin to the G20 summit in Miami later this year.
Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelenskyy is speaking now. We’ll bring you all the key lines here.
Updated
Israel’s ambassador to the UN, Danny Danon, reasserted Israel’s claim to the occupied Golan Heights, in response to Syria’s interm president Ahmed al-Sharaa’s address to member nations earlier.
“But no speech will change reality, al-Jolani: the Golan Heights will always be part of Israel,” Danon wrote on X, using the nom de guerre al-Sharaa went by when he was HTS leader.
Al-Sharaa harshly criticized Israel’s occupation of southern Syria and said the Golan Heights is an inseparable part of his country.
In his speech, he said that Israel has carried out more than 500 air and artillery strikes on Syria since he took power nearly two years ago. Israel has also carried out 1,200 land incursions and detained nearly 300 people, he said.
He also repeatedly invoked UN security council resolution 497, adopted in 1981, which declared Israel’s annexation of the Golan Heights “null and void and without international legal effect”.
Most of the Golan Heights plateau has been occupied by Israel since 1967. It was fully annexed in 1981, a move not recognised by most of the international community.
Cypriot president calls out Turkish 'hypocrisy' and urges Erdoğan to implement UN charter
Nikos Christodoulides, president of the Republic of Cyprus, told member nations:
The international order is not simply changing. It is being tested in an unprecedented way.
But it is in such times of uncertainty that the fundamental values of multilateralism must be protected:
International law. The charter of the United Nations. Respect for sovereignty and territorial integrity. The peaceful resolution of disputes. Respect for human rights. The equality of states.
In these rapidly changing times, he said, “the credibility of the UN must be preserved. And credibility requires consistency in the application of international law.”
Christodoulides said that 52 years since the illegal Turkish invasion of Cyprus:
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More than a third of the territory of the Republic of Cyprus remains under Turkish occupation
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Tens of thousands of displaced people and their descendants have been prevented from returning to their homes
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Varosha has remained sealed off, with Turkey still defying its clear and specific obligations set out in the relevant UN security council resolutions
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And “we have been experiencing violations of fundamental human rights, the destruction of religious and cultural heritage, and the organized transfer of settlers that constitutes demographic alteration”
“Respect for sovereignty and territorial integrity are not rhetorical figures,” he said. “Nor should they be applied selectively, depending on who the perpetrator is.”
UN Resolutions cannot be applied in one case and ignored in another.
And the sovereignty and territorial integrity of a state cannot depend on its size, its strength, or the passage of time.
This is not just an issue that concerns Cyprus.
It concerns the credibility of the international system itself.
Christodoulides said he listened carefully to Turkish president Recep Tayyip Erdoğan’s speech yesterday in which he spoke of international law, and respect for the sovereignty and territorial integrity of all states, the illegal occupation, the refugees (in relation to Israel and Palestine).
“However, in relation to Cyprus, Turkey is doing the exact opposite. Maximum hypocrisy,” Christodoulides said.
Mr Erdoğan, if you wish to invoke the charter, you must first implement it.
I remain fully committed to achieving a comprehensive solution.
I am ready to resume negotiations from where they were interrupted in 2017, building on the substantial work that has already been accomplished, within the agreed United Nations framework.
He called on Erdoğan “to allow meaningful negotiations within the framework agreed upon by the UN” to find a solution “that will allow Greek Cypriots, Turkish Cypriots, Maronites, Armenians and Latins to live together in peace, security and prosperity.”
For my part, let me repeat, I am absolutely committed.
Because partition will not be accepted. This cannot and will not be the future of my homeland and my people. Never. Our determination to reunite our island is unwavering.
The day so far
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Iran’s president said his country’s people had been the “victims of terrorism” by the United States. Delivering a rare wartime speech at the UN General Assembly, Pezeshkian displayed images of the late supreme leader Ali Khamenei and more than 150 schoolchildren killed in the opening days of the conflict.
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“We have only defended ourselves. We are not terrorists,” Pezeshkian said at the General Assembly. “Our innocent people have been the targets of cowardly attacks and aggressions imposed upon our country. And we defended ourselves with utmost strength. America and Israel attacked us.”
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On the strait of Hormuz, Pezeshkian said: “We cannot let some have free access and gain their interest from a waterway, while at the same time using that waterway to impose their aggressions upon us, to impose insecurity upon us, to forbid us access to our own waterways.” He also warns that any “expansion of warfare will not result in security.”
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Argentine president Javier Milei attacked the UN in a speech to the world body, calling it a “useless organization” filled with “arrogant parasites.” The firebrand Milei, one of US president Donald Trump’s closest Latin American allies, has repeatedly used the UN platform to criticise global governance and its “woke” agenda.
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Milei accused the United Nations of having failed in its duty to guarantee collective security and human rights, saying it had instead allowed “chaos, violence and international terrorism” to flourish. The UN, he said, “has become a useless organization, serving only to feed a caste of fatally arrogant parasites disguised as well-intentioned bureaucrats.”
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The United States has invited Russian president Vladimir Putin to attend the G20 summit of world leaders being held in Miami in December, US secretary of state Marco Rubio said. “In order to solve problems, you have to meet with the people that you disagree with or the people that you might have some issues with, so we’ve invited president Putin to the G20.
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US secretary of state Marco Rubio said after meeting with Russia’s Sergei Lavrov that both Russia and Ukraine had expressed interest in a limited ceasefire involving grain and energy. “We would be open to playing a constructive role in making that happen,” he said, quoted by Reuters.
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Paraguay’s president Santiago Pena called for Venezuela’s reintegration into the South American trade bloc Mercosur, speaking to world leaders at the UN General Assembly earlier today. Venezuela has been indefinitely suspended as a member of Mercosur, which comprises some of South America’s biggest economies, including Brazil, Argentina, Paraguay and Uruguay.
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Syria’s interim president harshly criticized Israel’s occupation of southern Syria and said the Golan Heights is an inseparable part of his country. In a speech to the UN General Assembly, Ahmad al-Sharaa said that Israel has carried out more than 500 air and artillery strikes on the country since he took power nearly two years ago. Israel has also carried out 1,200 land incursions and detained nearly 300 people, he said.
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The Kremlin has responded to Andy Burnham’s speech at the UN general assembly, accusing the UK prime minister of “stoking anti-Russian sentiment”. Burnham told the UN yesterday that his government would set up a new national centre to tackle information attacks by foreign powers and singled out Russia over what he described as the spread of disinformation.
US invites Putin to attend G20 summit, says Rubio
The United States has invited Russian president Vladimir Putin to attend the G20 summit of world leaders being held in Miami in December, US secretary of state Marco Rubio said.
“In order to solve problems, you have to meet with the people that you disagree with or the people that you might have some issues with, so we’ve invited president Putin to the G20.
“We think it’s an opportunity for him to engage not just with the president but with other world leaders. We hope that’s an invitation he’ll accept,” Rubio said.
Paraguay’s president Santiago Pena called for Venezuela’s reintegration into the South American trade bloc Mercosur, speaking to world leaders at the UN General Assembly earlier today.
Venezuela has been indefinitely suspended as a member of Mercosur, which comprises some of South America’s biggest economies, including Brazil, Argentina, Paraguay and Uruguay.
Chile’s president Jose Antonio Kast, whose country is an associate member of the bloc, is scheduled to meet with Venezuelan interim president Delcy Rodriguez on the sidelines of the General Assembly on Thursday.
In his speech, Pena also said he wants to see Venezuela undergo a genuine and lasting democratic transition.
Karis says “mutual dependence has begun to be treated as a critical vulnerability” as “aggression, war and conflict risks becoming the new normal”.
He says that millions of people are suffering around the world in places like Ukraine, Gaza, Sudan and Myanmar.
Karis goes on to talk about climate change and says the planet is “on fire”.
“The time to act is now,” he says. “Estonia is contributing its share … yes, the world is on fire, troubles and problems mounting before our eyes.”
Estonia’s Alar Karis is up next.
It’s his last UN speech before he gets succeeded by ombudsman and constitutional lawyer Ülle Madise next month.
Reminder that you can watch all speeches here:
Milei criticises UN, calls it ineffective over Falklands Island dispute with the UK
In his speech, Milei makes it clear he is not a fan of the UN by the sound of it and he escalates his rhetoric on the Falkland Islands and the UK.
He says the UN “has become a useless organisation whose only purpose is to sustain a cast of fatally arrogant parasites masquerading as well intentioned bureaucrats.”
He says “the alleged defenders of human rights” repeatedly “failed in their task” as they voted against Israel while “remaining silent in the face of Islamis terrorism and the genocide of Christians in Africa.”
He then gets particularly animated about what he calls the Malvinas Islands – the Falkland Islands – which he says “for us are a national cause.”
“An organisation established to defend the territorial sovereignty of its members decided to look the other way with regard to the situation of the Malvinas Island,” he says.
He criticises the Sea Lion Project, a major offshore oil development located in the North Falkland Basin, and says it shows “an unlawful act” as is not authorised by Argentina.
“What use is a resolution if for decades the other party can act in direct contravention of it?” he asks.
He says “there is no shortage of words or resolution, but what is lacking is consequences.”
“That’s why the Malvinas are not merely an issue between Argentina and the United Kingdom. They also raise a question regarding the ability of this organisation to enforce its own resolutions.”
Milei says the principle of self-determination should not apply for the Falkland Islands as “the population was implanted by the occupying power on a territory whose sovereignty is in dispute.”
“We call on the United Kingdom to resume negotiations with a view to finding a peaceful solution to the sovereignty dispute as required by international law.”
He says somewhat threateningly, without offering more detail that Argentina “will not remain indifferent to those who exploit resources under illegal foreign occupation.”
“I have come to tell you that Argentina is not going to sit around waiting for the UN and the international community to live up to their own mandate. We’re going to take matters into our own hands.”
He then reverts to criticism of the UN as “a bureaucratic leviathan” that deploys “a curious mix of anarchy and tyranny,” showing “impotence in the face of those who break the most basic rules … coupled with Orwellian control and impositions on liberal democracies that abide by the rules.”
He then talks about the Covid-19 pandemic as “a global experiment in social control disguised as science”…
Updated
Argentina’s Javier Milei is up next.
Always a colourful figure, let’s see what he says.
'Russia's aggressive posture poses a direct threat to European security,' Czechia's Pavel says
Meanwhile, Czechia’s Pavel is speaking now, and he joins in warnings about an emerging “power vacuum” in international politics, where “might replaces right.”
Speaking specifically on Ukraine, he warns that “Russia’s aggression continues to inflict enormous suffering on the Ukrainian people, civilians and civilians.”
“Russia’s aggressive posture poses a direct threat to European security as a whole,” he warns, talking about recent incidents involving Russia, including at Leipzig airport in Germany.
But framing his argument more broadly, he says:
“The consequences of aggression reach far beyond Europe. Russia’s war has undermined global food security, disrupting agricultural production, exports and supply chains. Its effects are felt in my country, but even more acutely in parts of Africa and elsewhere, particularly in countries that depend on stable and affordable food supplies.”
He then turns towards Czechia’s bid to get a non-permanent seat on the UN security council for 2032-2033, and to his reflections on AI as he warns that “our ability to govern this technology is not keeping pace with its development.”.
US delegation walks out from Iran president's speech in protest - video
Back to Pezeshkian’s speech, here is the moment when the US representative walked out in protest at what he was saying:
Back to the main hall, Czechia’s Petr Pavel is the next leader to speak.
A retired general and former chair of the Nato military committee, the 64-year-old’s defence background is rare among European leaders.
Let’s see what he says.
Russia and Ukraine interested in 'limited ceasefire' on grain and energy, US Rubio says
Meanwhile, US secretary of state Marco Rubio said after meeting with Russia’s Sergei Lavrov that both Russia and Ukraine had expressed interest in a limited ceasefire involving grain and energy.
“We would be open to playing a constructive role in making that happen,” he said, quoted by Reuters.
Let’s see if anything comes out of this.
Empty US, Israeli seats during Iran president Pezeshkian’s speech
Paraguay’s Santiago Peña Palacios is up next, before Czechia’s Petr Pavel.
Eleven speakers to go until we hear from Ukraine’s Volodymyr Zelenskyy.
'We will never bow our head,' Iran's president says, as he says country 'ready for dialogue' but without threats
Pezeshkian goes back to Trump’s speech from yesterday, as he says that “everything uttered about our country goes against the very essence” of the UN charter.
“He must know that the resistance of the Iranian people will only increase in the face of sanctions, increased pressure, increased bullying.
We will never bow our head or bend at the knee.
Iran must be understood by Mr Trump and those who seek to bully us; that we are ready for dialogue and diplomacy and negotiations - without accepting the language of force.”
And he ends his speech on this note.
Updated
'We will stand in defence of our beloved Iran until our last breath,' Iran's Pezeshkian says
Pezeshkian then says he wants to say “a few words” to those who “carried out aggressions against our country.”
“They have tested the strength and the steadfastness of Iran, and they have learned that Iran cannot be made to surrender. Iran has never, ever been an aggressor, has never started a war, and has always shown her commitment to the negotiating table.
They impose the war on us but we have proven that we’re not afraid of fighting, of war, that is defensive in nature, and we will stand in defence of our beloved Iran, our homeland, until our last breath.”
He draws comparisons between Iran and Israel in particular suggesting double standards as he says:
“The nuclear weapon is in Israel, but the inspectors in Iran. Israel kills, but Iran is subject to sanctions.”
Updated
On the strait of Hormuz, Iran’s Pezeshkian says:
“We cannot let some have free access and gain their interest from a waterway, while at the same time using that waterway to impose their aggressions upon us, to impose insecurity upon us, to forbid us access to our own waterways.”
He also warns that any “expansion of warfare will not result in security.”
He then says the situation in Palestine remains “an open wound on the conscience of the international community,” and “a symbol of the failure of international mechanisms to prevent civilian suffering.”
“We cannot speak of peace while ignoring Palestine. Lasting peace in West Asia is impossible without justice for Palestine,” he says.
Pezeshkian says the US often labels Iran as terrorists, while “we only seek to live independently.”
“Those who are committing terrorism, and committing crimes – are they they protectors of peace and stability? None of the international laws have been adhered to by them,” he snaps.
He says that “for the past two centuries” Iran “has not attacked any country of any territory,” and focuses on “defensive” military power.
He says Iran only wants nuclear technology for energy and “for progress,” and not for military reasons.
“We will not bow our head and give up the right that is inherently ours. We say it clearly no nuclear weapons and no limitations to peaceful nuclear technology. Our peace will not come in the field of battle. They must give the needed security to the people and nation of Iran.”
Iran's Masoud Pezeshkian addresses UN General Assembly
Iran’s Masoud Pezeshkian is speaking now.
He responds very angrily to Donald Trump’s speech from yesterday.
“The US president described us as terrorists. We have been the victims of terrorism,” he says.
He says the US “bombed a school” and “children perished under bombs with weapons used by the US and Israel.”
He says Iran “did not bow our head … and responded, but we did not hit civilian populations,” but “only defended ourselves – we are not terrorists.”
As he goes on, the US delegation walks out of the room.
Updated
Two dead, 43 injured in Russian attacks on Kyiv
Meanwhile, the latest update on today’s Russian strikes on Kyiv says two people were killed, and 43 injured.
That’s just hours before Zelenskyy’s main UN speech, which is expected in a couple or so hours.
Updated
Burundi’s Evariste Ndayishimiye is the latest leader to join the general assembly debate.
But watch out: next up is the Iranian president, Masoud Pezeshkian.
US Rubio meets Russia's Lavrov on the sidelines of UN general assembly debate
Away from the general assembly room, there is also lots of activities on the sidelines of the main debate.
For example, US secretary of state Marco Rubio is meeting Russia’s foreign minister Sergei Lavrov.
Earlier today, Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov told reporters that Russia believed there were no ground for Ukraine peace talks, but claimed it was open to them in principle.
Romania’s Nicușor Dan is up next.
He opens focusing on his concerns about social media platforms, as he says it is a fundamental "threat to our democracies that I do not believe is receiving the interest it deserves.”
He particularly talks about troll farms and other actions that seek to undermine “the fundamental principle of democracy: one person, one voice, one vote.”
He then turns to talking about Romania’s reforms over the last 37 years, showing “the difference between a communist system that oppressed them and stifled their initiative and freedom of choice, and a democracy that rewards work, innovation and personal responsibility.”
Latvia's Rinkēvičs warns against hybrid threats 'as dangerous as conventional wars'
Latvia’s Rinkēvičs also pointedly talks about the heightened state of alert in eastern Europe amid growing concern about Russia’s actions, as reported by my colleague Shaun Walker the other day.
The Latvian president says that “not every attack on the international order looks like war,” as he recalls “drones carrying explosives at airports” like in Leipzig or other hybrid incidents involving drones, airspace violations, and damaged power stations.
“We sometimes call them hybrid threats, but it sounds as innocent as hybrid cars. In reality, those threats to international peace and security are as dangerous as conventional wars.”
He also joins a growing chorus of leaders calling for the reform of the UN, saying the organisation “cannot take its relevance for granted.”
'We are all in the same boat' as 'the world order is breaking down', Latvia's president warns
Latvia’s Edgars Rinkēvičs is up next.
He begins by repeating warning that “the world order is breaking down,” as “the rules-based order that brought stability is under growing strain.”
But he says the threats once far away from home are now coming increasingly close: whether the Russian aggression on Ukraine, or the worsening landscape in the Middle East.
He also warns about climate change threats:
“Nature respects no borders either. Heatwaves do not stop at checkpoints. Rising seas threaten to rise. … That threat means that those island nations may disappear from the face of the earth, and far from the ocean.
The danger is just as real in the mountains. A river can turn into a deadly flood. It may happen in seconds. These floods sweep away homes, roads and lives. We just witnessed a catastrophic flood wave in Nepal, where also 33 Latvian citizens disappeared.
Global climate change does not have borders or citizenship.”
Rinkēvičs says that the main lesson appears to be that “none of us can face [the threats] alone.”
“We are in the same boat. Perhaps Noah’s Ark is no longer just a biblical story.”
Drawing on Latvia’s own history, he pivots to Ukraine and Russian attempt to deny its sovereignty and territorial integrity.
“Russia’s war against Ukraine strikes at the very heart of the United Nations charter,” he says.
Rinkēvičs urges leaders “not to look away” from Russian actions in Ukraine.
“Russia is violating the very principles it is entrusted to uphold. Russia started this brutal war. Russia can end it. It can stop its attacks. It can withdraw its forces. It can leave Ukraines sovereign territory.”
Updated
Al-Sharaa’s speech focuses on the reconstruction of Syria after the fall of the Assad regime, listing what he says are the achievements of the current government on the return of refugees and internally displaced people, education, and the rule of law.
He also condemned Israel’s attacks against Syria, calling for the withdrawal of Israeli forces to the lines agreed in December 2024 – and insists Golan will remain Syrian.
Updated
UN general assembly debate resumes
The morning session at UN general assembly is now under way, with Syria’s Ahmed Al-Sharaa the first speaker of the day.
You can watch it here:
Kremlin hits back at Burnham over UN speech
The Kremlin has responded to Andy Burnham’s speech at the UN general assembly, accusing the UK prime minister of “stoking anti-Russian sentiment”.
Burnham told the UN yesterday that his government would set up a new national centre to tackle information attacks by foreign powers and singled out Russia over what he described as the spread of disinformation.
The Kremlin’s spokesman, Dmitri Peskov, said Burnham’s address aimed at “stoking anti-Russian sentiment and fostering an atmosphere of total Russophobia”.
And now, presumably in unison with Britain, the Germans, the French and a number of other European states are doing the same thing,” Peskov told reporters, according to Reuters.
“From our point of view, this is an utterly short-sighted policy. It in no way brings us any closer to any steps that might, in the long term, lead to a reduction in tensions and de-escalation on the European continent.”
The flurry of diplomatic meetings around the UN general assembly also brought the Iranian foreign minister, Abbas Araghchi, together with his French counterpart, Jean-Noël Barrot, in New York
In a statement on his Telegram channel, Araghchi said he criticised what he described as France’s “interventionist” approach towards Iran.
He said:
France cannot claim to be compassionate about human rights while it remained silent about the inhuman crimes of the US and the Zionist regime against the Iranian nation and the killing of Iranian women and children, and has also cooperated in implementing the illegal US sanctions against the Iranian people.”
A Russian helicopter violated Polish airspace for 42 seconds, Poland says
A Russian military helicopter briefly violated Polish airspace on Wednesday morning, Poland’s army said.
The Mi-8 helicopter of the Russian Armed Forces crossed 300 meters into Polish airspace from the Russian exclave of Kaliningrad and remained there for 42 seconds, the army’s statement said.
“The aircraft’s flight was monitored by the Polish Armed Forces’ radar systems. Fighter jets were scrambled, while ground forces and assets remained on standby.
The nature of the incident suggests that Russia is once again testing the readiness of our air defence.”
Updated
Trump’s threat to annihilate Iran to UN general assembly is stunning, even for him - analysis
Donald Trump has a habit of discomfiting delegates to the United Nations general assembly. But this year, he may have upstaged the ghost of Nikita Khrushchev by openly contemplating the annihilation of a fellow UN member state.
Eleven minutes into a 40-minute address, the US president announced he had “a big decision to make” over Iran, which has staged a much more determined resistance than Trump anticipated when he decided to go to war against the country in February.
“Will a deal be made with Iran that lets them rebuild, and create a far greater country than it ever was before?” he asked. “Or do I annihilate the Islamic Republic and do it quickly, never giving them a chance to kill and destroy people and countries again? Do I drive them into hell with no chance of survival and no hope of future greatness or generations?”
Possibly not since Khrushchev, the late Soviet leader, brandished his shoe and allegedly banged it on a desk in 1960 in protest at a fellow delegate’s speech has the annual gathering witnessed such a display of bellicosity from a superpower leader.
But this seemed more shocking.
The world may have become inured to Trump’s dire threats to send Iran “to the stone age” or end its civilization – so often have they been issued, only to sometimes be followed by a ceasefire or negotiations. But hearing them voiced in a forum created in the aftermath of the second world war, with the explicit aim of preventing future conflicts, was disconcerting.
Iran was the focal point of much of Trump’s speech, which began with a catalogue of familiar boasts of his supposed achievements that seemed better fitted to a domestic audience.
Whether or not the latest threat should be taken literally, little of what he said about Iran seemed reassuring. He appeared to play fast and loose with the facts, consciously or otherwise.
Iran's president Pezeshkian to address UN general assembly
Before we hear from Zelenskyy this late afternoon European time, we are expecting to hear from Iran’s president Masoud Pezeshkian, who will speak as the fifth leader in the first session.
His intervention will come a day after US president Donald Trump confirmed his representatives held three-hour talks with Iran on the margins of the UN general assembly and when said he would make a decision on whether to “annihilate the Islamic Republic.”
Here is Patrick Wintour with the latest:
“Iran has pushed back on claims that it dropped former preconditions for reopening the strait of Hormuz in surprise talks held in New York under the mediation of Qatar between Tehran’s foreign minister, Abbas Araghchi, and Donald Trump’s envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner.
Trump said the three-hour talks held in a room at the UN headquarters had gone very well and been very productive.
He suggested further talks were possible imminently, which led to the price of a barrel of Brent crude to fall to below $100 (£75) for the first time in two weeks. Witkoff said the talks had been “encouraging, constructive and successful”.
In his speech to the UN general assembly, Trump said he had a decision to make very soon on whether to “annihilate the Islamic Republic” or help turn it into one of the great countries of the Middle East, the kind of bombastic threat Trump often deploys during talks with Iran.
Read Patrick’s latest dispatch from New York here:
Updated
'This Russian terror never stops,' EU ambassador to Kyiv reacts to strikes on capital
Meanwhile, the EU ambassador to Kyiv, Katarína Mathernová, has taken to social media to share her experience of this morning’s strikes.
She said:
“Just entered my office and heard a very loud bang. A jet powered drone hit an object just behind a building seen from my office windrow.
This follows on earlier hits this morning, also close to [the EU] Delegation.
Also two gasoline station were hit in Kyiv city.
This russian terror never stops…”
In a separate update, she showed how her staff worked on the corridor to stay away from windows, and in the last few minutes she added:
“A little while ago, in a span of fifteen or twenty minutes we heard three enormous, deafening explosions. These were followed huge plumes of smoke.
We could see that from our offices. We immediately moved from our offices into the corridor. The photo shows how we are working right now. russians do not let us sleep, breathe or work.”
Updated
These latest attacks come just hours before Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s address to the UN general assembly, so he is likely to reflect on them during his UN speech later.
So far, we have had no public comment from Zelenskyy or Ukraine’s foreign minister Andrii Sybiha.
Two dead, 22 injured in Russian attacks on Kyiv, city mayor says
Two people were killed and 22 injured in this morning’s Russian strikes on Kyiv, the city’s mayor Vitaly Klitschko said.
16 people remain in city hospitals, he added in a statement.
Kyiv faces 'particularly severe' attacks disrupting daily life
in Kyiv
For the past two days, Kyiv has come under particularly severe attack from jet-powered Shahed drones – swifter and harder to intercept than their predecessors.
As has been the case since mid-August, the drone attacks have come in the daytime as well as at night, disrupting ordinary life, schools and kindergartens.
On Wednesday morning an acrid stench of burning filled the city centre after multiple explosions, and the clear autumnal sky was clouded with plumes of black smoke.
A petrol station, warehouses, a business centre and a transport infrastructure building were hit, according to Kyiv’s mayor, Vitaliy Klichko.
As of mid-morning, one person had died and eight had been injured. Explosions were also seen near the capital’s main railway station.
'The world has changed, so should the UN,' Finland's Stubb says
Finland’s influential president Alexander Stubb also made a powerful speech about “dignified foreign policy” based on values at the UN last night, as he warned that “cooperation is undermined by a lack of trust, disregard for rules, and the weakening of institutions.”
“There are currently 65 active armed conflicts – more than at any time since the end of the Cold War,” he said, adding that more and more countries “compete against the rules on which the international order rests.”
Stubb used his speech to call for a reform of the UN, saying “the world has changed, so should the UN.”
“There should be, at least, two new permanent seats for Africa, two for Asia-Pacific and one for Latin America.
No single state should have veto power. And, if a member of the Security Council violates the UN Charter, its voting rights should be suspended.
The world needs a functioning UN security council. To move forward, we need to break the impasse and be open for creative solutions.”
Stubb also confirmed that Finland will stand for election to the security council from 2029 to 2030.
Worth reading the entire speech here.
Updated
Burnham navigates diplomatic rapids in first Trump meeting, but turbulent waters lie ahead
Burnham also had to navigate his first tricky in-person meeting with US president Donald Trump.
“Trump has asserted his relationship with the UK is “more up” with Andy Burnham than under Keir Starmer despite tensions between the two countries on a range of thorny issues including regulation of artificial intelligence, the Chagos Islands and the war in Iran.
At their first face-to-face meeting, the US president praised Burnham, who sat nervously alongside him, as a “natural businessperson”, saying he thought he had “lots of assets on his side” and would be a “great” prime minister.
As our political editor Pippa Crerar writes in her analysis:
“The British side, including foreign secretary Ed Miliband and national security adviser Jonathan Powell, could not hide their relief when Trump kept his policy differences with the UK muted – beyond inevitable criticism of what he described as the “terrible” Chagos deal.
…
British officials – even those who have witnessed the Trump strategy in action before and knew it would not necessarily last – were delighted with how the talks had gone.
“It was the top end of our expectations,” said one. “All the issues you guys had written about – the Falklands, a united Ireland, Chagos – all fine.””
New UK agency to fight ‘information warfare’ from likes of Russia, Burnham tells UN
There was also lots of focus on UK prime minister Andy Burnham’s first UN speech, late at night in Europe.
In his speech, Burnham was keen to speak about how “Britain is back” after 10 years of Brexit, “restoring our stability” and “building a more dynamic economy.”
On Russia, he said the UK will be “will be relentless in building up our hard power and deterrence,” but “we will not play Russia’s game of trading escalatory rhetoric.”
“Unlike Russia, we do not seek confrontation. Instead, we will be prepared, but not panicked. Clear-eyed, but cool headed. And unflinching in defending our people and our allies.”
In particularly eye-catching paragraphs, he said Britain has been “under attack” with years of “an industrial-scale assault by hostile actors on the information environment in the UK and that of many of our allies.”
“Russian agencies have used every means at their disposal to spread lies and disinformation and prey on people’s fears. They’ve used bots and fake websites. Falsified newspaper articles. Forged the branding of 28 British organisations – including universities and the BBC. They’ve amplified far right narratives,” he said, adding that Moscow “tried to interfere with the 2019 general election.”
In response, security chiefs will set up a new national centre to tackle disinformation and deepfakes from hostile states such as Russia, he said, saying the government had a duty to “stem the poisonous tide” from damaging British interests.
Burnham said the country would have to go into the next decade “eyes wide open” about “insidious” campaigns, many of which had been orchestrated by Russia, which “twisted” what people at home felt about their own country and community.
Macron's final UN speech condemns 'return to the law of the jungle' with focus on Ukraine, Gaza, West Bank
Catching up with what happened at UNGA last night, France’s president Emmanuel Macron delivered his last general assembly speech as he is firmly in the last year of his presidency.
And he did not hold back, warning against a global “return to the law of the jungle,” as he said “we cannot accept the new order of impunity that some would like to build.”
He warned that “in the Middle East, in Ukraine, in Africa, the industrialisation of war crimes, violations of the law, and the destruction of civilian infrastructure is ushering in a new age of barbarity.”
He assured leaders of France’s “unwavering support” for Ukraine, and urged leaders to “defend the Ukrainian people … more than ever before the coming winter.”
Separately, in what was seen as a swipe at Trump, Macron also said the world was witnessing a spectacle that should shame everyone, rebuking Trump’s portrayal of his Gaza peace plan as a diplomatic triumph, Reuters reported.
“A year ago, here in this very hall, about a dozen states had recognised Palestine. I hear the cynicism of some people: ‘Recognition is just a piece of paper, look at the reality.’
What credibility do we have if we continue to remain inactive in the face of Gaza? Some boast of a supposed peace. But that peace has not reopened humanitarian access for a single second. Are we simply to stand by and watch this spectacle that should shame us all?”
Macron also opted for tough language on settler violence against Palestinians in the West Bank, saying:
“Look at what is happening in the West Bank, where every day violations are committed. In whose name? Hamas has never operated in the West Bank …
What is happening there is building, day by day, the impossibility of a project that should be based on respect for the legitimate right of the Palestinian people to exist.”
At least one dead, seven injured in Russian strikes on Kyiv this morning
Kyiv mayor Vitali Klitschko said at least one person died and seven were injured in this morning’s Russian attacks on Kyiv.
In a series of updates, he said Russian drones struck a business centre, a transport facility, and a “non-residential building,” among others.
Separately, Ukrainian oil company Ukrnafta said Russia hit one of its petrol stations in the capital, the sixth such facility attacked in recent weeks.
Smoke was seen rising in the centre of Ukrainian capital Kyiv after a Russian drone attack this morning, Reuters reported.
More on that when we have it.
Morning opening: Zelenskyy to present Ukraine's case to UN leaders
Ukraine is set to feature prominently on Day 2 of the UN general assembly in New York, with leaders first joining the UN security council meeting on Ukraine, before president Volodymyr Zelenskyy takes to the podium to deliver his address to the assembly.
It will be a key opportunity to rally international support behind Kyiv, bolstering Ukraine’s position ahead of any potential peace talks with Moscow.
Zelenskyy did not get a chance to say much during his last night’s meeting with US president Donald Trump.
“I hope we will end this war, and president Trump will help us end this war. We need to do it as quick as possible, before winter,” he said at the beginning of the meeting before Trump dominated the Q&A with reporters.
He later said on social media that the pair discussed ending “the senseless war” before winter, with “potential de-escalatory steps that can open up the way to diplomacy.”
He also said Ukraine was “ready for any kind of format of energy ceasefire” if Russia agrees to “not attack out energy system”
Before we get to Zelenskyy late afternoon, we will hear from some other European leaders from Latvia, Romania, Czech Republic, Estonia, and Cyprus. I will monitor their speeches for any key lines.
Lots to cover.
It’s Wednesday, 23 September 2026, it’s Jakub Krupa here, and this is Europe Live.
Good morning.
