Trump and Zelensky meet at UN: As it happened

When asked about the progress in resolving the Ukraine conflict, Trump claimed that “the biggest progress is that the Russian economy is terrible right now” and is “crashing.”

Although Russia's economy has shown some signs of slowing down in recent months, President Vladimir Putin said last week that the country “is still far from a recession,” citing the “historically low unemployment rates.” Most analysts and economists have acknowledged that the Russian economy has broadly weathered the sweeping Western sanctions.

The US president believes NATO nations should shoot down Russian military aircraft if they cross into their airspace, answering in the affirmative to a question to that effect.

When further pressed on whether Washington would aid other NATO members in such cases, the president replied that it would depend “on the circumstance.”

Hungary could forgo Russian oil imports, Trump has claimed during a joint briefing with Zelensky. The US president has said he had not yet talked to Prime Minister Viktor Orban about the issue. “I have a feeling if I did, he might stop, and I think I'll be doing that,” he has added.

When asked whether he still trusts Russian President Vladimir Putin, Trump replied that he would give an answer “in about a month.”

It is “too early” to talk about guarantees for Ukraine, Trump has told journalists during a short joint press briefing ahead of his meeting with Zelensky.

Zelensky is heading to his sit-down with Trump.

Trump and Zelensky most recently met in Washington in mid-August, soon after the US president’s summit with his Russian counterpart, Vladimir Putin, in Alaska. The leaders of the UK, France, Italy, Germany and Finland, as well as the heads of NATO and the European Commission were also present at the talks between the American president and Ukrainian leader.

Trump also put a big map on a display at the Oval Office showing the frontline situation in the Ukraine conflict. “I assume you've all seen the map,” Trump told Fox news after the meeting. “A big chunk of territory is taken and that territory has been taken,” he said, referring to the areas controlled by Russia.

Zelensky also admitted that territorial exchanges were on the talks agenda at the White House – something he had previously outright refused to discuss.

Trump spoke for almost an hour at the UN General Assembly, even though each speaker is usually given around 15 minutes. At 56 minutes, it was the longest speech at the UN among US presidents.

Renewable energy is “a joke” and is too expensive and insufficient to power an industrial economy, Trump claimed. According to the president, the “green energy agenda” has brought many nations in Europe to “the brink of destruction,” adding: “All green is all bankrupt.”

The US president called global warming and the idea of the carbon footprint a “hoax” and a “scam,” claiming that the green agenda was aimed at moving manufacturing and industrial activity away from developed nations.

The US will lead an international effort to enforce the 1975 Biological Weapons Convention, Trump announced, adding that it will involve “pioneering an AI verification system that everyone can trust.” He did not provide any details about the system.