Ukrainian leader Volodymyr Zelensky has urged world leaders to keep choking off Russia's revenues and impede its war efforts.
Mr Zelensky told the UN General Assembly in New York that "Russia's revenues must remain a target".
He also warned against the use of AI in war and warned: “The longer Putin can wage war, the more evil he will leave behind”.
Meanwhile Russian president Vladimir Putin will be invited by the US to the G20 Summit in Miami this December, secretary of state Marco Rubio said.
"We think it's an opportunity for (him) to engage not just with the president (Trump) but with other world leaders. We hope that's an invitation he'll accept," Rubio told the media.
The president met US president Donald Trump on Tuesday and said they had also discussed a Russia-Ukraine ceasefire on energy-related targets.
The Kremlin has not publicly backed the proposals, but Rubio said both sides had expressed interest in a limited ceasefire involving grain and energy. Moscow said, however, that there were no grounds for wider peace talks yet.
Ukraine's foreign minister holds talks with Iran's Araqchi amid tensions
Ukrainian foreign minister Andrii Sybiha said on Wednesday he discussed ways of keeping tensions in check at a meeting with his Iranian counterpart Abbas Araqchi.
Sybiha said on X the meeting on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly in New York was a follow-up to a telephone conversation the two held in July.
In more than 4-1/2 years of conflict with Russia, Ukraine has faced barrages of Iranian-designed drones. Kyiv has over that time developed technology to counter drone threats and offered its assistance to Middle Eastern countries facing strikes by Tehran.
"Diplomacy is about direct conversation, even in challenging circumstances," Sybiha wrote.
"Our conversation focused on mutual steps to prevent further aggravation of tensions between our countries. We agreed to keep existing channels of communication open."
Sybiha said the two ministers exchanged views on the situation in the Middle East and Europe "as well as various tracks of ongoing peace efforts".
"I reiterated Ukraine's position in support of a sooner restoration of peace and stability in both our regions."
"It comes as a Ukrainian drone strike on an Iranian ship killed one sailor and injured another in July. Iran denounced the attack and threatened retaliation.
Ukraine sent two North Korean prisoners of war to South Korea
Ukraine has sent two North Korean prisoners of war to South Korea, Ukrainian Volodymyr Zelensky told the UN General Assembly on Wednesday, following months of consultations between Kyiv and Seoul after the soldiers were captured in Russia's Kursk region in 2025.
"These guys are not easy to capture alive," he said. "One of them, when he realised he was going to be taken prisoner, tried to kill himself and he was shocked that fate didn't let him die. This is how they raise people in the North."
Following the soldiers' capture in Kursk in January 2025, South Korea urged Kyiv not to send them back to North Korea, where they could face persecution, and said it was willing to accept them if they wished to resettle in the South.
South Korea's Foreign Ministry did not directly confirm Zelenskyy's comments but said it had been consulting with Kyiv and other relevant parties to resolve the matter in a manner that respects the soldiers' free will and complies with international law and humanitarian principles.
The ministry said in a statement that it would not confirm details about the soldiers' "disposition, the timing or route of their transfer or specific contents of consultations" with Ukraine, calling it a sensitive matter concerning the safety of the soldiers and their families.
We can make winter painful for you too, Zelensky warns Russia
President Volodymyr Zelensky has warned Moscow at the United Nations that Ukraine will 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.
Ukraine and its allies are racing to secure limited agreements on energy infrastructure and Black Sea shipping before winter, fearing renewed Russian strikes on power and heating facilities.
"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," Zelensky told the UN General Assembly.
Although Russia has a far bigger arsenal of missiles which it has used to pound its enemy throughout the war, Ukraine has developed and used thousands of long-range drones to strike back at Russian warehouses, port infrastructure and oil refineries.
"That’s exactly why we say that de-escalation steps are needed before winter," Zelensky said.
Zelensky signs drone deals with Finland, Australia and other countries
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky says he has signed a "drone deal" with Finland, another in a series of agreements combining Kyiv's technical expertise with other countries' industrial capacity.
"We are always ready to share what has helped us save lives with our closest friends," Mr Zelensky wrote.
When the war began in February 2022, Ukraine had limited experience in drone technology. Kyiv has rapidly developed its expertise and is now able to down drones, many of them designed by Iran.
It has offered its technology to a wide range of countries, many of them in the Middle East, facing Iranian weaponry.
Kyiv has now clinched "drone deals" with 10 countries and has an accord with the European Union.
In his address to the UN General Assembly on Wednesday, Zelensky said a security accord had also been concluded with Australia.
He described the drone deals as "ready-made security formats that we adapt to each specific country and each specific region".
"We are already working with partners in the Gulf, the South Caucasus, and across Europe through drone deals."
Developing drones, he said, allowed countries to control borders, mountain areas and roads "and without them, this would simply be impossible".
Zelensky wants Chinese leader to put pressure on Putin
Ukraine’s President Zelensky said he hoped to urge Chinese leader Xi Jinping to pressure Vladimir Putin into ending the war.
He told the UN General Assembly: “Unfortunately, we have not had a chance to speak directly with the leader of China, who is in who is in America today, but not here, and he is someone who can influence Russia too more than many many others can, and we would like him to want peace as much as we do in Ukraine.
“We believe the world has the power to make this happen.”
Watch: Zelensky warns against use of AI in war
The latest: Kremlin hits back at Burnham over 'disinformation' comments
The Kremlin said on Wednesday that British prime minister Andy Burnham was unwise to stir up what they called anti-Russian sentiment, while pouring cold water on hopes of imminent peace talks with Ukraine.
Burnham told the United Nations on Tuesday that London would set up a new National Centre for Information Defence and singled out Moscow for particular criticism when it came to spreading what he called disinformation.
Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov accused Britain of “stoking anti-Russian sentiment and fostering an atmosphere of total Russophobia”, likely in conjunction with France, Germany and other unnamed European states.
“From our point of view, this is an utterly short-sighted policy,” he said. “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.”
Speaking ahead of a planned meeting in New York between US secretary of state Marco Rubio and Russian foreign minister Sergei Lavrov, Peskov signalled that there were still no plans for high-level talks with either Washington or Kyiv to discuss a potential peace deal.
“Zelensky, if he wishes, may come to Moscow. The necessary security guarantees will be provided to him,” he said, as Putin launched another wave of drone attacks on Kyiv, killing two and injuring at least 22.
Drone attacks on Kyiv kill two people and wound 41
Russia hammered Kyiv with drones in daylight attacks on Wednesday hours before Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky spoke to world leaders at the UN General Assembly.
Two people were killed and 41 wounded in Ukraine's capital as the attack stretched into Wednesday afternoon.
Palls of black smoke floated above the city following the latest in what have been daily Russian attacks that torment Ukrainian civilians.
The drones set off fires and damaged buildings in Kyiv and elsewhere in Ukraine overnight, authorities said.
“The Russians launch jet-powered Shaheds every hour, every hour against our cities, our economy, our infrastructure, our combat aircraft are fighting them 24/7,” Mr Zelensky told the General Assembly.
'The longer Putin can wage war, the more evil he will leave behind'
The longer Vladimir Putin can wage war, the more evil he will leave behind, President Zelensky has warned world leaders at the UN General Assembly.
Dubbing Russia's leader ‘Patient Zero’ - “the man from whom this war began” - Mr Zelensky said the Kremlin leader was turning the war into the largest war in Europe since World War Two.
“But the longer Putin is able to wage war, the more evil he will leave behind in this war,” he said.
“Today, nothing in war works the same way it did, by the way, in 2022.
“Except the courage of people, everything has changed, and who knows whether courage will still work the same way in the future.”
Diplomacy and strength needed, says Zelensky
Ukraine is building its security so that it can help other countries get the same protection, President Zelensky said.
“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,” he said.
If Russia continues to target Ukraine’s energy system and heating, steps are needed before winter, he said.
“Now we need diplomacy and we need strength.”
