UN General Assembly opens with Macron, Trump in NYC

UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres officially opened the world body's 81st General Assembly — which runs through next Monday — at its New York Headquarters.

US President Donald Trump was among the first speakers, criticizing Iran starkly but also suggesting a peace deal was possible. Trump also spoke out against what he called globalist endeavors like joint taxes or restrictions on artificial intelligence.

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan called for Palestinian statehood and had harsh words for Israel. Brazil's President Lula warned against outside interference at the upcoming presidential election.

The General Assembly comes at a time of global uncertainty as global conflict, environmental crisis and massive technical disruption foist uncertainty upon the global population.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy met with US President Donald Trump on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly debate. In a post on X, Zelenskyy characterized the meeting with Trump as "positive and productive." "Both the US and Ukraine want to see this senseless Russian war ended before winter. We discussed potential de-escalatory steps that can open up the way to diplomacy," Zelenskyy said.

"I am grateful that in the meantime our teams keep working on launching Patriot interceptor production in Ukraine. This is what will help protect lives, should Russia spurn the negotiations and keep betting on ballistic missile terror against our people this winter and beyond," the Ukrainian leader added.

In comments to journalists after the 40-minute meeting, Zelenskyy said the two leaders discussed an energy ceasefire. Zelenskyy said "we are ready for any kind of format of energy ceasefire" if Russia agrees to "not attack our energy system."

French President Emmanuel Macron said there was a need for nations to develop their own artificial intelligence (AI) capabilities so as not to be beholden to the US and China. "I don't want anyone to become the vassal of one of the great powers. Rather, we must come together to build an open-source frontier model, a cutting-edge model," he told the UN General Assembly.

Macron also addressed the situation in Gaza, stating: "Some claim that peace has been achieved, but this has not opened up humanitarian deliveries. The scenes, the spectacle, it is shameful. Shame on all of us!" He proposed a "double moratorium" for Ukraine and Russia, suggesting both sides commit to stop strikes on energy infrastructure and grain shipments.

A few hours after his speech at the assembly warning he was prepared to "annihilate" Iran if necessary, US President Donald Trump told reporters that American and Iranian officials had met on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly. "They had a very good meeting, a very productive meeting," Trump told reporters, saying it had lasted roughly three hours. "They have another one scheduled in the very near future," he said.

Finland's President Alexander Stubb told the audience that the world faced a "choice between cooperation and conflict." He emphasized that competition is natural but must remain within the rules of the international order.

Lithuanian President Gitanas Nauseda urged the assembly not to forget the conflict in Ukraine, stating that "the one conflict that poses the greatest threat to the world order is Russia's war of aggression against Ukraine." He noted that Russia's war had led to numerous violations of Lithuanian airspace by combat drones.

Qatar's Emir Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani said the current crisis in the Gulf "should come as no surprise to anyone." He stated that the absence of a regional system of collective security had allowed parties to drag neighbors into a war that is not theirs, impacting global energy and food supplies.