Here's the latest
• Trump speech: US President Donald Trump told the UN General Assembly a deal with Iran is possible after the midterm elections, but his other choice is to “annihilate the Islamic Republic.” He also spoke about US munitions stockpiles and plans to establish a “large military presence” on Greenland, while arguing he is someone who has “made peace.”
• Iran talks: Afterward, Trump said that members of his administration met with the Iranian delegation for about three hours in what he described vaguely as a “very good meeting.”
• On the agenda: Trump took part in a trilateral signing ceremony to formalize a new Greenland security agreement. He also met with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and will speak with Venezuela’s acting president Delcy Rodríguez later.
Trump administration considering diesel export ban
President Donald Trump suggested the administration is considering a temporary ban on diesel exports when asked about some GOP senators calling for the US to stop exporting it to allies.
“I’ve said let’s not send out the diesel. We make a lot of diesel,” Trump told reporters ahead of a bilateral meeting with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky.
“I’ve called for it within my people. I’ve been talking about it,” Trump said of the idea of halting diesel exports.
He then turned to Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent, who said the US is examining the feasibility of such a ban.
“We’re examining that, whether it’s feasible in terms of the overall refining capacity and whether a full or a partial ban would work,” Bessent said.
Some context: The price of diesel, the most important fuel on the planet, has surged 83% so far this year, and it is on track for what would easily be the biggest annual increase since AAA started tracking diesel prices in 2000.
However, researchers warn that an export ban would likely only provide a temporary reprieve from sky-high diesel prices and would backfire in the medium and long run. They said a ban would likely raise prices on friends and allies, jack up gasoline prices, crush US refiners and damage America’s reputation as a reliable energy superpower.
CNN’s Matt Egan contributed to this post.
Finland’s president: We should all be a little nicer to each other
The president of Finland, whose country is considered by one study to be the happiest on Earth, ended his speech at the UN by urging the world’s leaders to mind their manners.
The solution, Stubb said, is to “avoid polarization, strengthen trust, and listen to others.”
“We need a dignified foreign policy,” Stubb concluded, “and that starts here in the United Nations.”
Stubb’s speech came a few hours after US President Donald Trump took to the dais and described the International Criminal Court – which works closely with the UN – as “evil” and threatened to “annihilate” Iran.
Kast says "Chile is back" and claims his Trump-style migration plan is working
Chilean President José Antonio Kast used his speech before the UN to critique his predecessors’ security and migration policies, asserting that with his arrival to the presidency, “Chile is back.”
Kast noted that during his first six months as president, the borders have become “more controlled,” claiming that irregular migration has dropped by 86%, and the expulsion of undocumented individuals has increased by 50%.
Kast’s migration plan, dubbed “Border Shield”, was launched at the start of his presidency in March; it mirrors U.S. President Donald Trump’s immigration policy by featuring reinforced borders and increased deportations.
Regarding security, the Chilean president stated that the country’s homicide rate has fallen by 11.5% over the last six months and highlighted that the fight against organized crime is being conducted in coordination with several Latin American nations.
Like other countries in the region with right-leaning governments, Chile is part of a security alliance known as “Shield of the Americas,” an initiative promoted by Trump.
Trump says administration held "very good meeting" with Iranian delegation
President Donald Trump said that members of his administration met with the Iranian delegation at the UN General Assembly for about three hours in what he described vaguely as a “very good meeting.”
“It went very well,” Trump told reporters, sitting alongside Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky. “It was a very good meeting.”
Trump said Iran had two options: “potential greatness” through a peace deal, or “obliteration.”
“It’s two choices,” Trump said. “In one case, it’s obliteration, and the other alternative is potential greatness. It could be a great country.”
Pressed whether US envoy Steve Witkoff and Trump’s son-in-law Jared Kushner participated in the meeting, the US president didn’t dispute their participation.
“Well, there’s nothing to say. They had a very good meeting, a very productive meeting. And they have another one scheduled in the very near future,” Trump said before asking if Witkoff and Kushner wanted to say anything.
Witkoff, sitting on the couch next to White House chief of staff Susie Wiles and Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent, widened his eyes and stared awkwardly ahead, answering only vaguely when someone asked how he felt after the meeting.
“I feel very good right now,” Witkoff said. “It’s a blessing to work for President Trump.”
Trump then argued that, ultimately, a deal would be beneficial for Iran.
“They had a very good meeting, and we’ll see how it turns out. But certainly, it’s to their advantage to make a deal, and we can do that. It’s preferable, I guess,” he said.
Trump says he thinks Ukraine and Russia will make a deal — but does not provide details
President Donald Trump repeated what has become his common refrain on Ukraine and Russia Tuesday: “I think they are going to make a deal.” But he again declined to provide details on any potential agreement.
“I don’t want to say what the deal is,” he added during a bilateral meeting with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky amid the United Nations General Assembly.
Trump said that he talks with both Zelensky and Russian President Vladimir Putin “a lot” about ways to end the war. The US president has been trying to negotiate an end to the conflict since he took office again in January 2025.
Zelensky said he hopes that President Trump will “help us end this war. And I think we need to do it as quick as possible before winter, better before winter.”
Special envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner recently traveled to both Kyiv and Moscow to discuss the ongoing conflict. At the time, the White House said those talks were “substantive” and next steps would be discussed in the coming weeks.
Daria Tarasova-Markina contributed reporting to this post.
Trump says Putin "willing to meet," but unsure about G20 participation
President Donald Trump said that he was unsure if Russian President Vladimir Putin would be at the G20 in Miami later this year, though he asserted that he is open to another meeting.
Asked if Putin would respect an invitation to the G20 for a meeting, Trump said, “Well, I don’t know. I know that he will meet, and we’ve had a meeting already in Alaska. I think he’d do another one. I don’t know about Miami.”
Ukraine President Zelensky previously told Deutsche Welle that he would go to the G20 in Miami for a meeting with Putin. It’s unclear if Putin would agree to meet with Zelensky.
Fujimori says Peru joined Shield of the Americas because of its commitment to fight crime
Peruvian President Keiko Fujimori told the UN General Assembly on Tuesday that her country joined the Shield of the Americas, a US-backed security initiative, because of its “commitment” to fighting criminal groups operating across the continent.
“In Peru, we will pursue crime, from the person who carries it out to the network that supports it. We will not back down in the face of those who seek to impose terror over the law. Cracking down on these organizations with the full force of the law is not enough if, at the same time, we do not take on the challenge of developing a better education system,” she said.
Fujimori also used her speech at the UN General Assembly to call on the international body to demonstrate a “genuine commitment to dialogue.”
“The UN must continue to be a meeting place for peoples — a meeting that respects the diversity of realities and traditions, always within the framework of peace, development, and human rights. Therefore, we hope that, in this effort to regain the trust of states, the United Nations will offer an independent, impartial response rooted in a genuine commitment to dialogue — demonstrating that it can forge paths forward even when mutual understanding seems impossible,” Fujimori said.
Fujimori, who has held the presidency for nearly two months, was the second Latin American leader to speak before the UN General Assembly today. She followed Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, who said in his address that the UN was “failing” in its mission to prevent global wars.
In a tone less harsh than that of Lula da Silva, Fujimori urged UN members to “highlight our organization’s most important reason for being: uniting around shared issues, even amidst our differences.”
British Prime Minister Andy Burnham meets Trump for first time
Britain’s Prime Minister Andy Burnham and US President Donald Trump met for the first time on Tuesday on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly, with the pair bonding over their shared hope for Britain’s future.
Burnham took the opportunity to reminded Trump that Manchester – the city in England where the UK leader was mayor before becoming Prime Minister in July – is not just a “town,” as Trump had previously described it, but a “great city.”
The UK prime minister also touted Britain’s future potential, saying it has “got so much going for it, and it’s time to turn the story about Britain to a positive story. Get some hopefulness going around the country.”
“I think there’s a tremendous patriotism in Britain,” Trump agreed. “They want to see great things happen. Tremendous potential.”
The pair were also asked by reporters about more controversial topics, including the UK’s recently announced plans for sanctions on illegal Israeli settlements in the occupied West Bank. “Obviously, we took that decision. The foreign secretary and I did call you just to say why we had taken that,” Burnham said to Trump.
Burnham added that the two leaders discussed the Middle East, the Falkland Islands and trade issues, Reuters reported.
Lithuanian president: Ukraine’s victory over Russia key to global security
Lithuanian President Gitanas Nausėda said “Russia’s war of aggression against Ukraine” is “the one conflict that poses the greatest threat to the world order.”
Nausėda said that Russia has seen minimal territorial gains and has endured immense losses. CNN reported earlier this year Russia’s decision to launch a full-scale invasion of Ukraine has now cost the country some 450,000 lives, according to a new study that estimates the war’s total casualty numbers to have surpassed 2 million.
“Yet all these enormous efforts, all that blood and tears, basically came to nothing. Ukraine is still standing proudly as an independent state. The Ukrainian language, culture, and national identity are alive and thriving,” Nausėda said during his remarks to the United Nations General Assembly.
“In all but name, Russia has already lost the war,” he said. “Yet we must all feel the deep pain brought by this brutal and pointless war, and we all should join our forces to draw Ukraine’s victory closer.”
Nausėda added, “For it is only Ukraine’s final victory, safeguarding its sovereignty, independence, and territorial integrity, that could ensure the global peace, security, and credibility of the United Nations Charter.”
Trump says judge "probably will" rule in media's favor in lawsuit over White House access
President Donald Trump said that while he believes his ban against CNN, MS Now and Politico is warranted, the federal judge overseeing the lawsuit “probably will” rule in the media’s favor.
Asked if he planned to let the three media outlets back in to the White House if the judge ruled against him, Trump replied: “Probably will, because he’s not a particularly fair judge, so you never know. But I’m talking about national security. I think we have a right to clean out fake news. You know, news is fake.”
Trump appointed the judge overseeing the case.
“It’s actually dangerous, I think we’re right to clear it out,” Trump continued, speaking at a bilateral meeting with UK Prime Minister Andy Burnham during the UN General Assembly.
While Trump first justified his ban by calling the organizations “fake news,” he offered a new explanation earlier Tuesday, arguing that their coverage presents a “threat” to national security.
Pressed on how exactly news outlets are dangerous, Trump said, “When they make statements about the war, when they make false statements, false, malicious, and they don’t have sources, but they say they do.”
“It’s very dangerous for our country, and I won’t stand for it,” he said.
While CNN was credentialed by the United Nations, Trump barred the network from coming on White House grounds and from taking part in the White House TV network pool rotation, which includes CNN, Fox, ABC, CBS and NBC.
Macron, advocate for global cooperation, to give last speech to UNGA as French president
As Emmanuel Macron prepares to make his final address to the UN General Assembly, the world is very different from his first speech in the UN’s New York headquarters nearly 10 years ago.
At the altar of multilateralism, he has become one of the most vocal advocates of international rule of law and cooperation, using France’s diplomatic and military weight to counterbalance the rapid erosion of the norms and architecture of the pre-Trump era.
“We need to restore the terms of trust and respect between peoples,” he proclaimed in his 2024 speech.
From the wars in Ukraine and Israel’s bloody campaign in Gaza, to protecting the oceans and changing the West’s relationship with the Global South, he has been a firm believer the importance of cooperation, rather than competition, on the world stage.
In 2017 he defended the post-WW2 international order – France was indebted to the foreign liberators who had saved her from the grip of Nazism, he said. In 2026, as war rages anew on the European continent, it is France that now leads the way in keeping Ukraine fighting – and the country’s lights on – amid Russia’s constant attacks.
He leaves a complicated legacy. He faced strong headwinds during his decade in power, perhaps most of all the Donald Trump’s attacks on allies, alliances and the UN itself – stripping much of the funding the body’s agencies rely upon, in an era of intense need. Throughout, Macron’s message was clear and frank.
As he told world leaders in 2018, “Nationalism always leads to defeat.”
Qatar emir warns Gulf crisis threatens global economy, urges diplomacy with Iran
Qatar’s Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani warned Tuesday that the Middle East is passing through one of its “most dangerous phases” and called for an urgent diplomatic solution to the Gulf crisis triggered by the war between the US and Iran.
Addressing world leaders at the UN General Assembly, Sheikh Tamim said the conflict was the result of years of postponing solutions through “temporary arrangements and unrealistic policies,” arguing that the region lacks a collective security framework capable of preventing wars and protecting the sovereignty of states.
The Qatari leader said the crisis had demonstrated how instability in the Gulf could have far-reaching global consequences, including disruptions to energy supplies, trade routes and international markets.
“It has become possible for an international waterway through which nearly a quarter of the world’s energy trade passes to be closed,” he said, referring to the Strait of Hormuz.
Sheikh Tamim said Qatar remains convinced that the crisis can be resolved through diplomacy, including reopening the strategic waterway to navigation and returning to negotiations to prevent a broader regional war.
“The opportunity for a peaceful diplomatic solution, which we believe is both possible and realistic, must not be missed,” he said, adding that any lasting settlement must provide security and stability for the entire region, including Iran.
The emir also warned that the economic consequences of the conflict extend well beyond the Gulf, driving up food and medicine prices and affecting people “who have nothing to do with the causes of the conflict.”
Qatar serves as a diplomatic broker between Washington and Tehran, hosting indirect talks, facilitating sensitive prisoner swaps, and managing frozen Iranian funds to de-escalate tensions.
Trump says Iran has been talking to the US "even today”
President Donald Trump said that the United States has been in contact with Iran “even today,” as he weighs whether to pursue a deal to end the war.
“I think that a settlement is going to be reached,” Trump said during a bilateral meeting with British Prime Minister Andy Burnham.
“They want to talk to us. They have been talking to us even today,” he added of Iran. “They’ve been talking to us, and the relationship is developing.”
The comments came after Trump said in his UN General Assembly speech earlier Tuesday that a deal with Iran is possible after the midterm elections, but that his other option is to “annihilate the Islamic Republic.”
Meanwhile, Trump has told his advisers he would like to arrange a meeting with Iranian officials while he is in New York, if “conditions are right.”
Denmark calls Greenland deal with US "good agreement" for all parties
Denmark has called a new Greenland security agreement with the United States, signed Tuesday, a “good agreement” for all parties, including NATO.
Frederiksen said the deal was “deeply rooted in the NATO Alliance,” and respects the sovereignty of Denmark and the Greenlandic people’s “right to self-determination.”
Greenland’s Prime Minister Jens-Frederik Nielsen praised the agreement, agreeing with Frederiksen that the deal “recognizes that we are a people with the right to self-determination.”
US President Donald Trump struck a notably warmer tone toward Greenland during the signing ceremony earlier Tuesday, a striking reversal after months of threatening to annex it — even if it involved military force.
In departure from earlier messaging, Trump calls Venezuela operation a "war"
President Donald Trump spoke about Venezuela in his UN speech as if it were a military foe that the United States had conquered. But that’s not at all how the administration billed the US operation in January.
It instead pitched the operation as a much more limited one focused on law enforcement — namely arresting indicted Venezuelan leader Nicolas Maduro.
“In January, at my direction, the United States military conducted a massive military operation, penetrating deep into the Venezuelan capital, Caracas,” Trump said Tuesday.
He said the military penetrated a “heavily defended and fortified military base, one that was supposed to be flawless against attack.”
He added later that “it was a war,” and he cast the US taking Venezuela’s oil as a situation akin to “to the victors belong the spoils.”
But this bears little resemblance to what the administration initially said.
In his own United Nations appearance on January 5, US Ambassador to the UN Michael Waltz said there was “no war against Venezuela or its people.”
“We are not occupying a country,” Waltz said. “This was a law enforcement operation in furtherance of lawful indictments that have existed for decades.”
Others echoed that line, including Secretary of State Marco Rubio.
“We just don’t believe that this operation comes anywhere close to the constitutional definition of war,” Rubio said in testimony in late January.
The Justice Department also said in a legal memo that a president could order such an operation because he is not constrained in carrying out law enforcement operations overseas.
Ahead of trip to UN, feud between Netanyahu and Mamdani escalates
Ahead of his trip to the United Nations General Assembly, the feud between Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and New York Mayor Zohran Mamdani has flared up once again.
On Tuesday, Netanyahu released a video on social media accusing Mamdani of supporting Hamas and “inciting riots against New York Jews.” Netanyahu said that he would come to the UN “to tell the truth about our heroic soldiers, and I’m going to tell the truth about you.” Netanyahu has already used Mamdani as part of his electoral campaign on a billboard that said, “They want Netanyahu to lose. Don’t let them win.”
Mamdani disputed accusations made in the video, saying, “We all know that what the prime minister has said in that video is not true.”
“What we do know to actually be the truth when it comes to the prime minister is that he is the subject of an International Criminal Court arrest warrant for alleged war crimes and crimes against humanity. And as the prime minister, is the architect of a horrific genocide against Palestinians,” Mamdani said during a news conference today.
One day earlier, Mamdani doubled down on his criticism of Netanyahu, calling him a war criminal, even as he acknowledged he did not have the authority to arrest the Israeli leader while he is in New York, something he had promised to do during his mayoral campaign. The International Criminal Court issued an arrest warrant for Netanyahu and other Israeli leaders in 2024, but the US is not a member of the court and had made clear it will not arrest Netanyahu.
Netanyahu and Mamdani have had a long-running and very public rivalry. Netanyahu’s arrival in New York for his UN General Assembly speech on Thursday is expected to draw protests.
CNN’s Maureen Chowdhury and Gloria Pazmino contributed to this report.
This post has been updated with additional comments from Mamdani.
Gaza has become "most inhumane and shameful concentration camp of our time," Erdogan says
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan concluded his address at the United Nations General Assembly a short while ago, saying that Gaza “has become the most inhumane and shameful concentration camp of our time.”
Erdogan began his speech by expressing his “sadness” that the president of the Palestinian Authority, Mahmoud Abbas, had been banned from traveling to New York for the assembly.
“This injustice against our Palestinian brothers and sisters deeply offends the conscience of humanity,” Erdogan said, telling the gathered world leaders that his country will “continue to be the voice of a free and sovereign state of Palestine.”
The Turkish leader stressed the dire humanitarian situation in Gaza and the fact that more than 70,000 people have been killed by Israeli attacks there in less than three years.
“Today, Gaza is not only the world’s largest graveyard for children; it is also the place with the highest rate of child amputations in the world,” Erdogan said.
The Turkish leader acknowledged the ceasefire mediated by the US that Israel and Hamas agreed to last year, but he pointed out that this has stalled, and that Palestinians are still being killed in Gaza.
Ahead of Zelensky meeting, Trump projects confidence in ending Russia’s war in Ukraine
President Donald Trump and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky are scheduled to meet today on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly this afternoon.
“We’re working very closely with the leaders of Russia and Ukraine, and we will get that one done,” he said earlier in his remarks to the UNGA. “It’s going to happen, I think, more quickly than people understand.”
It comes after US special envoy Steve Witkoff and Trump’s son-in-law Jared Kushner held separate talks earlier this month with Zelensky in Kyiv and Russian President Vladimir Putin in Moscow. In the weeks since that trip, Trump has spoken only with Putin.
Focus on diesel: Trump said on Monday that Russia has “lost control of its Diesel Oil Industry,” and called for an end to the war in Ukraine.
“Russia has unfortunately lost control of its Diesel Oil Industry due to its War with Ukraine. A large number of their Diesel refineries have been blown up and are, at least temporarily, out of commission,” Trump wrote in a post on Truth Social on Monday.
Diesel, the workhorse fuel that powers trucks, trains and tractors, has skyrocketed 83% in the US so far this year, leaving it on track for the biggest annual increase since AAA started tracking it in 2000. Economists warn the historic price spike will continue to add to the cost of living.
Earlier this month, Trump said he had asked Zelensky to stop targeting Russia’s diesel supplies in aerial attacks, arguing that the strikes are “hurting the world” at a time when the war in Iran continues to push global oil prices higher.
Trump then said in a social media post last week that “Ukraine has agreed not to hit Russian Energy targets. Russia has agreed to do, likewise!” Zelensky, however, stated the arrangement as a proposal, not an agreement.
CNN’s Matt Egan contributed reporting.
UN’s shortcomings are a common theme among speeches
A common theme in General Assembly speeches this morning is explicit disappointment with the United Nations, with some leaders saying the organization has “failed” outright at its mission of securing world peace.
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan struck a similar tone, saying that the UN is “no longer able to fulfill” its mission of world peace.
US President Donald Trump, who last year asked what the “purpose” of the UN was during his address, criticized the UN from a different angle. The president said he and other states had achieved the “most sweeping UN reforms in history” through budget cuts and denounced the International Criminal Court as an “evil group of people.”
Venezuela's Delcy Rodríguez and Trump will meet later
US President Donald Trump will meet with Venezuela’s interim President Delcy Rodríguez in a “pull aside” during today’s United Nations General Assembly in New York, according to the White House schedule.
The meeting, scheduled for 7:40 p.m. ET, would mark the first time the two have met in person.
It comes as her former boss, Nicolás Maduro, sits in jail mere miles away in Brooklyn.
CNN has also asked the White House whether Trump plans to meet with Venezuelan opposition leader María Corina Machado.
