LEILA FADEL, HOST:
Russia's war against Ukraine is spreading and is a threat to the world. That was the message at the United Nations from Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy. He called it a, quote, "crazy war" led by Russian President Vladimir Putin.
(SOUNDBITE OF ARCHIVED RECORDING)
PRESIDENT VOLODYMYR ZELENSKYY: Can you even imagine him without war? He's patient zero, the one from whom this idea of war keeps spreading further.
A MARTÍNEZ, HOST:
Iran's president also addressed the world body, accusing the U.S. of being the world's bully. The Trump administration says it wants to promote peace negotiations in both of these conflicts.
FADEL: Let's bring in NPR's diplomatic correspondent Michele Kelemen to talk about where things stand. Good morning, Michele.
MICHELE KELEMEN, BYLINE: Good morning, Leila.
FADEL: So are there signs of any progress in either war?
KELEMEN: In the Russia-Ukraine war, at least, Zelenskyy's been proposing this kind of energy ceasefire because Trump has been unhappy with Ukraine's strikes on Russian oil and gas infrastructure. But the Ukrainians obviously want the Russians to stop attacking Ukraine's energy grids ahead of another tough winter. They also want to allow grain to be exported as before. That's another big issue that has global implications on the world stage. A day after Trump met with Zelenskyy, Secretary of State Marco Rubio met with Russia's foreign minister. And I asked him afterwards if Russia would agree to that. Take a listen.
(SOUNDBITE OF ARCHIVED RECORDING)
MARCO RUBIO: I think both sides have expressed an interest in some limited ceasefire that involved grain and energy. It doesn't solve the war. But it does, I think, in some ways, potentially alleviate some of the global pressures that are being felt as a result of that.
KELEMEN: So that's where the diplomacy is focused on, this kind of short-term deal. Though, there's a lot of concern that the conflict is intensifying and expanding as Russia violates NATO airspace. Russia's foreign minister, who spoke at the Security Council meeting on Ukraine yesterday, said Russia has no plans for a pause.
FADEL: That war has upended grain and energy markets around the globe. The U.S. war against Iran has also affected the world economy. President Trump warned Iran that he's ready to annihilate them if they don't reach a deal. What was the Iranian response?
KELEMEN: So Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian sounded pretty defiant when he spoke to the U.N. He said the Iranians won't bow to this pressure. He said the Iranians are not the terrorists, but they're the victims of terrorism. But despite all that kind of public posturing, the Iranians and the Trump administration envoys have been talking here through mediators.
Secretary Rubio didn't give much of an indication of how those talks are going. And the Iranians say there was no breakthrough, that they just repeated their terms for what they need to reopen the Strait of Hormuz. But, Leila, you know, that conflict is expanding, too, with the Iranian-backed Houthis in Yemen now threatening shipping in the Red Sea. And there's no real clear end game with the Trump administration.
FADEL: I want to ask you about another speaker at the U.N. Venezuela's interim leader, Delcy Rodríguez, made her address just eight months after the U.S. seized former President Nicolás Maduro, who's now in jail just a few miles from the U.N. What did she have to say?
KELEMEN: Well, she seems intent on burnishing her credentials as a stateswoman. The last time she was here at the U.N. General Assembly in 2019 as Maduro's vice president, she told the chamber that Venezuela, quote, "does not kneel before any imperial power." This time around, she praised Trump and she had a photo op with him. He's talked her up, too, saying he doesn't think Venezuela is ready for elections. So that gives her more time to consolidate power.
FADEL: That's NPR's diplomatic correspondent Michele Kelemen. Thank you, Michele.
KELEMEN: Thank you. Transcript provided by NPR, Copyright NPR.
NPR transcripts are created on a rush deadline by an NPR contractor. This text may not be in its final form and may be updated or revised in the future. Accuracy and availability may vary. The authoritative record of NPR’s programming is the audio record.
