Wednesday, 24 September 2025
Wednesday, 24 September 2025
Every September, the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) in New York turns into the world’s most contested stage. This year, the 80th session opened on September 9 and gathered pace with the General Debate beginning on September 23.
From morning till late night, presidents and prime ministers took the podium to air grievances, defend national interests and call for peace.
The addresses revealed a world divided — over trade, over war, over justice. From trade wars and territorial conflicts to Gaza and Kashmir, here’s what they said.
US President Donald Trump: Ukraine, Tariffs and ‘Seven Wars’
US President Donald Trump declared that Kyiv could win back “all of Ukraine in its original form” as Russia faced “BIG economic trouble.”
He urged Ukraine to act now, claiming that with European Union backing, victory was possible. Shortly after meeting President Volodymyr Zelenskyy in New York, Trump posted on Truth Social that “this is the time for Ukraine to act.”
Trump revived his familiar boast that he had stopped the conflict between India and Pakistan and claimed to have ended “seven unendable wars” in seven months, listing Cambodia and Thailand, Kosovo and Serbia, Congo and Rwanda, Pakistan and India, Israel and Iran, Egypt and Ethiopia, and Armenia and Azerbaijan.
He criticised the UN for failing “even to try to help” in resolving such crises. Trump also accused India and China of being “primary funders” of the Ukraine war by continuing to purchase Russian oil.
Turkey President Recep Tayyip Erdogan
Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan once again raised the issue of Kashmir in his address, emphasising that the dispute should be resolved through dialogue on the basis of UN resolutions.
He said Turkey was “pleased” with the ceasefire reached after the violent flare-up earlier this year. Erdogan praised cooperation between India and Pakistan on counter-terrorism and noted the importance of peace and stability in South Asia.
India launched Operation Sindoor on May 7, which targeted terrorist infrastructure in Pakistan-controlled territory following the Pahalgam terror attack that killed 26 people. The clashes lasted four days before an understanding was reached to stop hostilities.
South Africa President Cyril Ramaphosa
South African President Cyril Ramaphosa warned that “trade is now being used as a weapon” as he urged the United States to ease tariffs imposed on his country. Trump’s administration had levied a 30 per cent duty on South African imports in August after earlier attempts to secure a deal failed.
Speaking first at the UNGA and later at the Council on Foreign Relations in New York, Ramaphosa said the tariffs were destabilising global markets and undermining development.
He also pushed for the continuation of the African Growth and Opportunity Act, a preferential trade pact offering duty-free access for 32 African nations. The treaty has not been renewed by the US Congress, and Trump’s return to the White House has cast fresh doubt over its extension.
Ramaphosa stressed that South Africa, the continent’s most industrialised economy, had benefited greatly from the programme and needed it to remain in place.
Colombia President Gustavo Petro
Colombian President Gustavo Petro launched one of the fiercest attacks of the session, calling for a criminal investigation against US President Donald Trump over deadly American strikes in the Caribbean earlier this month.
Washington had claimed the targeted boats were carrying drugs for the Venezuelan Tren de Aragua gang. Petro disputed this, insisting the passengers were “poor young people from Latin America who had no other option.”
Addressing the UNGA, he said, “Criminal proceedings must be opened against those officials, even if it includes the highest-ranking official who gave the order: President Trump.”
He accused Washington of criminalising poverty and migration while rejecting its justification for the strikes.
France President Emmanuel Macron
French President Emmanuel Macron warned that the world order was “breaking down” under the weight of isolationism and divisions.
“We’re isolating ourselves. There’s more and more divisions, and that’s halting our collective capacity to resolve major conflicts,” he said in his UNGA address.
Speaking separately to French television, Macron challenged Trump, saying that if the US president truly sought the Nobel Peace Prize, he had the power to stop the war in Gaza.
“There is one person who can do something about it, and that is the US president,” Macron said, pointing out that while Europe does not supply weapons to Israel, Washington does.
Canada PM Mark Carney
Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney called his meeting with Chinese Premier Li Qiang on the sidelines of the UNGA as “very constructive.” The talks covered tariffs on steel, aluminium and electric vehicles, as well as agriculture, seafood and canola exports.
Relations had soured after Ottawa imposed duties on Chinese EVs and metals, prompting Beijing to retaliate with taxes on Canadian canola, but Carney said dialogue was now deepening. He added he expected to meet President Xi Jinping “at the appropriate time.”
According to Xinhua, Li told Carney he hoped Canada would establish a “correct” understanding of China and lay a solid foundation for cooperation. With trade between the two countries growing this year, Beijing signalled it was willing to maintain the “positive” momentum.
Palenstine envoy Riyad Mansour: Plea to Stop Gaza ‘Genocide’
Palestinian envoy Riyad Mansour made an emotional address to the UN Security Council on the sidelines of the General Assembly, demanding an immediate ceasefire in Gaza.
“Ending the genocide in Gaza is the utmost priority. The slaughter must stop. The destruction must stop,” he said.
Mansour insisted Palestinians were “not lesser beings” and condemned Israel’s actions as unjustifiable atrocities. He also warned that famine and occupation were pushing the humanitarian crisis to breaking point.
