The 80th session of the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) kicked off its high-level week in New York on September 22, 2025, with a swirl of diplomatic activity and a sense of urgency that’s hard to ignore. World leaders descended on the city to hash out solutions to some of the globe’s most pressing crises, and nowhere did the stakes feel higher than in the discussions on Ukraine and the Middle East. The session’s opening, led by Annalena Baerbock, President of the UN General Assembly, set the tone: respect for human rights and the pursuit of peace and stability must remain at the heart of international cooperation, as reported by Al Jazeera.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, at the helm of his country’s delegation, wasted no time in calling for renewed and robust action against Russia. Just hours before the UNGA’s opening, Zelenskyy took to social media to condemn Russia’s latest overnight drone strikes on Ukrainian cities—including Donetsk, Dnipro, Sumy, Kyiv, Kharkiv, Zaporizhzhia, and Kherson. According to ABC News, at least three people died in Zaporizhzhia, and Ukraine’s air force reported that Russia had launched 141 drones, of which 132 were downed or suppressed. The attack marked the fourth time, Zelenskyy said, that Russia had used the occasion of a major diplomatic event to escalate violence.
“This is already the fourth time that Russia accompanies one of the highest annual global diplomatic events with killings,” Zelenskyy posted. “That is why it is so important for this diplomatic week to be productive. We must act so that killings and war do not become routine.” He urged the assembled global powers—specifically Europe, the USA, the G7, and G20 countries—to bring “strong political pressure” and “strong sanctions” to bear on Russia. “There is a real need for strong pressure on Russia, new joint steps from everyone in the world who believes that international law must work again,” he wrote. “Strong sanctions, strong political pressure, Russia’s accountability for the war—all of this is necessary. All of this will happen.”
The Ukrainian leader’s call found a receptive, if cautious, audience. The week’s agenda for the Ukrainian delegation, led by Zelenskyy and Foreign Minister Andriy Sybiha, was packed with high-stakes meetings and summits. Among them: the Fifth Summit of the International Crimea Platform, a high-level meeting of the International Coalition for the Return of Ukrainian Children, and a UN Security Council session on Ukraine. Sybiha himself planned to hold numerous bilateral and multilateral talks, spanning continents from Europe and North America to Asia, Africa, Latin America, and the Middle East, as reported by Ukrinform and Interfax-Ukraine.
One particularly notable diplomatic overture came during Sybiha’s meeting with Oman’s Foreign Minister Badr bin Hamad Al Busaidi at UN headquarters. Sybiha proposed that Oman, with its “authoritative voice,” play an active role in the Ukraine peace process. “We discussed peace efforts and our work to organize the meeting of leaders to speed up the end to the war. I proposed Oman to play a role in the peace process with its authoritative voice,” Sybiha posted on social media, as cited by Ukrinform. The two ministers also explored ways to deepen cooperation in fields such as agriculture, technology, and trade. Ukraine’s recent opening of an embassy in Muscat, Sybiha noted, underscored Kyiv’s commitment to strengthening bilateral ties. Al Busaidi, for his part, affirmed Oman’s dedication to “peaceful dialogue and diplomatic solutions.”
While Ukraine sought to broaden its coalition of support, the realities on the ground remained grim. Russian attacks had intensified since U.S. President Donald Trump’s summit with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Alaska the previous month, and repeated Russian drone and aircraft incursions into NATO airspace in Poland, Romania, and Estonia were ratcheting up tensions. In response to Estonia’s request, the United Nations Security Council was set to convene an emergency meeting to address the violation of Estonian airspace by three Russian fighter jets on September 12.
Trump, who was scheduled to meet with Zelenskyy in New York during the UNGA, expressed his own frustration with Putin over the lack of progress in peace talks and the continued violence. “Putin had let me down,” Trump said during his recent visit to the U.K., according to ABC News. Yet, despite his rhetoric, Trump has so far declined to impose the full suite of additional sanctions and tariffs on Russia that he has threatened, opting instead for a 25% tariff on all Indian imports in response to India’s ongoing purchases of Russian oil and military goods. Trump stated that he would not introduce further measures until European nations imposed similar tariffs on India and China, highlighting a divergence in approach between the U.S. and its European allies, who have been more vocal in their support for Kyiv.
Oleksandr Merezhko, a member of Ukraine’s parliament and chair of the foreign affairs committee, called the planned Trump-Zelenskyy meeting “positive,” telling ABC News, “It’s always good and gives a chance to make him more receptive to our needs. At the same time, I don’t have high expectations. Trump seems reluctant to employ serious sanctions against Russia and its allies.” Kyiv, he added, would be closely watching the level of international support for a planned resolution backing Ukraine, especially from the Global South.
The UNGA’s high-level week was not solely focused on Ukraine. Another major topic was the recognition of Palestine. According to Al Jazeera and PTI, more than ten countries—including the United Kingdom, Australia, Canada, Denmark, and Portugal—recently expressed willingness or officially announced recognition of the Palestinian state. France’s President Emmanuel Macron confirmed his country’s recognition of Palestine during the session, emphasizing support for bilateral dialogue and a future sovereign Palestinian state. France and Saudi Arabia were set to co-chair a summit on Palestine recognition, expected to see further announcements and reaffirmations of support for Palestinian statehood. On September 12, the General Assembly adopted the New York Declaration, which called for a just and lasting peace based on a bilateral solution.
The return of Syrian leader Ahmed al-Sharaa to the General Assembly for the first time since 1967, and his meeting with U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio, added another layer of diplomatic intrigue. These developments, along with the flurry of bilateral and multilateral talks, underscored the UNGA’s role as a vital, if imperfect, forum for tackling the world’s toughest problems.
As the week unfolded, the sense of urgency was palpable. With Zelenskyy’s impassioned appeals, renewed international focus on the Middle East peace process, and a series of high-stakes meetings, the 80th session of the UN General Assembly became a crucible for both old grievances and new hopes. Whether this diplomatic momentum will translate into real-world change remains to be seen, but for now, the world is watching New York—and waiting.
