Trump Tells UN General Assembly Putin Must 'Settle' Ukraine War

President Trump arrived at United Nations headquarters in New York on Tuesday to deliver his address to the General Assembly, telling reporters beforehand that his message to Russian President Vladimir Putin was to "settle the war," according to a live blog maintained by The Guardian. The remark, made ahead of his formal remarks to delegates, came as the Ukraine war entered its fourth and a half year with no resolution in sight, the Guardian reported.

What did Trump say about Ukraine before his speech?

Trump's brief comment to Putin — to "settle the war" — was delivered in remarks before he took the podium, the Guardian's live coverage noted. The outlet did not report additional detail on the substance of Trump's planned UNGA address at the time of the dispatch, saying the contents of the speech were unknown heading into the morning.

The UN gathering unfolded against what the Guardian described as an unstable Middle East and a Ukraine conflict that "shows no signs of abating." Secretary-General of the United Nations separately warned of spiraling global conflict ahead of Trump's address, according to the same live blog, though the specific language of that warning was not detailed in the available reporting.

Who is Trump meeting with at the UN?

Trump was scheduled to meet with 11 world leaders on Tuesday, either bilaterally or in group settings, spanning four continents, the Guardian reported. Confirmed meetings included British Prime Minister Andy Burnham and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, with additional sessions planned involving Venezuela and other governments, according to the live blog. The full roster of the day's meetings was still developing as the Guardian's coverage continued.

Separately, Trump met with New York Mayor Zohran Mamdani at Gracie Mansion earlier Tuesday, and the two appeared "friendly" following what the Guardian characterized as a "wide-ranging" conversation.

What happened at Trump's UN speech last year?

Trump's appearance follows a combative 2025 address in which he told assembled delegates their countries were "going to hell," citing climate policy and migration among his complaints, the Guardian reported, citing a photograph and prior coverage of that speech. The tone of this year's remarks remained unconfirmed as of Tuesday morning, with the Guardian noting only that the speech's contents were unknown before Trump took the stage.

What other developments emerged around the UN gathering Tuesday?

Several other storylines surfaced alongside the UNGA proceedings, per the Guardian's live coverage:

• A Republican senator called for a probe into Donald Trump Jr.'s wedding, which the senator said was funded by oligarchs and involved cryptocurrency interests.
• Trump pushed back on concerns about depleted U.S. munitions stockpiles, telling reporters, "It's not true."
• A Democratic lawmaker said Immigration and Customs Enforcement blocked her oversight visit to what she described as the country's largest detention camp.
• Trump said he was seeking a "massive" fertilizer deal with Belarus amid an ongoing trade dispute with Canada.
• U.S. television networks suspended White House pool coverage over what the Guardian described as a Trump media ban.

None of these threads were directly tied to the UNGA speech itself in the available reporting, but they formed the backdrop to the day's diplomatic schedule.

By the numbers

• 11 world leaders Trump was set to meet Tuesday, across bilateral and group sessions, the Guardian reported.
• 4 continents represented among those scheduled meetings, per the same live blog.
• 4.5 years — the approximate duration of the Ukraine war as of Tuesday's UNGA session, according to the Guardian's framing.

What to watch

• Whether Trump's formal UNGA remarks match the tone of his pre-speech comment urging Putin to "settle the war."
• Outcomes from the Trump-Zelenskyy meeting on the sidelines of the assembly.
• Any Senate response to the call for a probe into Trump Jr.'s wedding financing.
• Further detail on the reported Belarus fertilizer deal and its connection to the U.S.-Canada trade dispute.

The Guardian's live blog was continuing to update as of Tuesday afternoon, with the full text and tone of Trump's address still pending at publication.