Trump Signals 'Big Changes' at UN General Assembly, Launching Diplomatic Push on Iran, Ukraine, and US-China Relations

U.S. President Donald Trump, marking the opening of the UN General Assembly in New York on the 22nd, said he had entered 'decision mode' and signaled big changes ahead. He has embarked on a diplomatic push to address the major issues facing the United States—Iran, Ukraine, and US-China relations—all at once. With the UN General Assembly underway, a series of meetings with world leaders is scheduled. In a phone interview on the 20th, President Trump said something big would happen in the near future.

On Iran, he mentioned three options—military pressure, economic strangulation, and an agreement—while remaining open to the possibility of meeting with Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian. Iran, for its part, is combining hard-line statements from its military with mediation efforts through Qatar, pursuing negotiation and pressure strategies in tandem.

Negotiations are also progressing on the Ukraine issue. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky announced on X (formerly Twitter) that he had agreed to meet President Trump in New York. Rustem Umerov, Secretary of Ukraine's National Security and Defense Council and head of the ceasefire negotiation team, said the issues to be resolved in talks have narrowed from dozens to just one or two core matters. However, the battlefield situation remains volatile, including Ukraine's strikes on Moscow.

Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi will join the US-Japan summit being held the same day. The prime minister is approaching the talks with a strategy of highlighting expanded investment in the United States to fend off additional demands, such as increased defense cost-sharing.

Ahead of the US-China summit scheduled for the 24th, U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent and Chinese Vice Premier He Lifeng, among others, coordinated the agenda in New York in advance. Secretary Bessent said the two sides had reached successful agreements on trade and artificial intelligence (AI). He proposed to the Chinese side a mutual notification system in the event of AI-related incidents, and the two sides agreed to continue AI dialogue. U.S. Trade Representative Jamieson Greer said the two countries had activated the trade committee agreed upon at the May US-China summit in Beijing.

The UN General Assembly brings together leaders from around the world to discuss international issues. President Trump has used the occasion to launch diplomatic efforts on conflict and trade matters, with a series of meetings with world leaders underway as the assembly opened on the 22nd.