Zelensky offers partial ceasefire, Macron criticizes Trump's Gaza peace claim

The UN General Assembly is traditionally used for diplomatic talks throughout New York. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyj also traveled to the USA to negotiate an end to the Russian war of aggression.

At a meeting with US President Donald Trump, he again declared his willingness to de-escalate. Ukraine is ready for a partial ceasefire for attacks on energy facilities. "That means we will not carry out attacks on energy facilities - on the entire energy sector, on anything," Zelensky said. To achieve this, Russia must also refrain from such attacks. The proposal will be transmitted by the USA to the Russian side.

However, Kremlin spokesman Dmitri Peskov had previously rejected the proposal, citing the aim of a comprehensive peace settlement.

Zelensky ready to meet Putin

At the same time, Zelensky emphasized that Trump had not asked him to refrain from attacks on, among other things, the oil industry in Russia. A few days ago, the US President attributed rising diesel prices in the US to Ukrainian attacks on Russian refineries.

The Ukrainian president reiterated that he is ready for a trilateral meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin and Trump. He hoped that the US would find a way to persuade Moscow to enter into negotiations of some kind.

A meeting between US Secretary of State Marco Rubio and his Russian counterpart Sergei Lavrov is planned for later in the day. This is likely to be primarily about the wars in Ukraine and Iran.

Rodriguez meets Trump

Rubio was also present at President Trump's brief meeting with interim Venezuelan President Delcy Rodríguez, which the White House said took place on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly. Details about the content of the meeting were not given.

Rodríguez had arrived in New York the day before - the city where her predecessor Nicolás Maduro is imprisoned. Maduro was captured during a US military operation in Venezuela in January and brought to the USA. He is to be tried for “drug terrorism”.

Rodríguez will deliver a speech at the UN General Assembly today. It is the first participation of a Venezuelan head of state in the UN general debate since 2018.

Macron criticizes Trump

Trump, however, faced diplomatic headwind from French President Emmanuel Macron. In his speech to the UN General Assembly, he rejected the US claim that Trump had brought peace to the Gaza Strip. Despite the announced peace, not a single humanitarian corridor in the coastal area has been reopened. The world will witness a spectacle that should shame everyone.

Macron, who leaves office next May, sharply criticized Israel. With regard to the West Bank, he complained about daily rights violations, even though the terrorist organization Hamas is not active there. This destroys the legitimate right to existence of the Palestinian people.