Trump at the UN: ‘Putin must make peace’. And on Iran: ‘Reach an agreement or I will destroy it’

‘America First’, determined to assert its strength, from the Western Hemisphere to the Middle East and beyond. From the UN podium, Donald Trump reaffirmed the aggressive role of the United States under his presidency. He denounced existing international organisations within the United Nations system – from UNESCO to the International Court of Justice to the Human Rights Council – as illegitimate. He warned against the prospect of new forums, such as cooperation on AI. Above all, he once again threatened to ‘annihilate’ Iran if it does not come to terms, and called for a heavy-handed approach in the Americas, including the promise of changes in Cuba, whilst at the same time claiming to want to bring – or to have brought – peace from Ukraine to Gaza, where violence continues.

‘Others have spoken, I have acted,’ he said during his 35-minute speech, ‘others have spoken of peace, I have brought it about. Others have ignored threats, I have confronted them.’ In Tehran, Trump adopted the harshest rhetoric, defending the war he had unleashed. “I have a major decision to make: we will either reach an agreement with Iran… or I will swiftly destroy the Islamic Republic, sending it to hell.” He suggested that an agreement might still materialise after the US mid-term elections, when the Iranians will realise that the outcome of the polls – in which the President’s Republican Party risks defeat – will not affect the White House’s stance. As a sign of the uncertain manoeuvring currently under way, senior US (Jared Kushner and Steve Witkoff) and Iranian representatives met for a full three hours yesterday on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly, according to the President himself.

Trump, in a diplomatic capacity, also appealed to Russian leader Vladimir Putin before his speech to ‘resolve the conflict’ and make peace with Ukraine. He then added that he might, if necessary, use a recent law passed by the US Congress to tighten sanctions on Moscow. However, he said he believed that Moscow and Kyiv “had had enough” of the tragic hostilities. Meeting with Ukraine’s Volodymyr Zelensky to discuss de-escalation, a ceasefire in attacks on energy infrastructure and arms supplies, he ventured: “We will find a solution.”

At the heart of his speech, however, Trump placed his ‘America First’ vision. He painted a picture of a golden age in the US that grants him unrivalled authority and, addressing international crises, he adopted a confrontational tone towards the Americas as well. ‘The spoils belong to the victors,’ he said, referring to Venezuela, where he ousted Nicolás Maduro by force and now boasts extensive control over energy reserves. He predicted the fall of the Cuban regime, which he accused of being at the centre of infiltration and subversive plots against the US. “The action in Venezuela,” he declared, “demonstrates that we will not allow threats to America to take root in the Western Hemisphere and that, if necessary, we will use our unrivalled military power to safeguard the vital national interests of the United States.” He subsequently met with the Caracas leader now backed by the US, Delcy Rodríguez, Maduro’s former deputy. Trump also spoke of successes in the fight against drug trafficking through the controversial use of the US armed forces to destroy suspicious vessels. UN reports have described the killing of 230 people in such operations as possible crimes against humanity.

The President highlighted the strengthening of not only America’s southern but also its northern border, thanks to the security agreement on Greenland with Denmark, which he signed this afternoon on the sidelines of the UN. He promised the construction of ‘two large military bases’ in the semi-autonomous territory, something that is in fact already possible under previous agreements. Greenland’s future had caused serious rifts within NATO, in the face of Trump’s openly expansionist ambitions; however, yesterday he complimented Secretary-General Mark Rutte from the podium. Trump finally met the new British Prime Minister, Andy Burnham, whom he described as a ‘natural businessman’ who ‘gets it’.