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Connect the World

Zelenskyy to Address World Leaders at UNGA; Massive Waves from Storm Inundate Hong Kong Restaurants; Four-Year-Old Nour Dalloul Killed by Israeli Strike; Volodymyr Zelenskyy Addresses United Nations General Assembly; Zelenskyy: No Security Guarantees Except Friends and Weapons; Trump: Ukraine in Position to "Win all of Ukraine Back". Aired 9-10a ET

Aired September 24, 2025 - 09:00   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.

[09:00:00]

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BECKY ANDERSON, CNN HOST, CONNECT THE WORLD: Well, this is New York City on at U.N. headquarters Ukraine's President set to speak in just moments. It

is 09:00 a.m. there. It is 05:00 p.m. here in Abu Dhabi. I'm Becky Anderson, you're watching "Connect the World".

Also coming up, Volodymyr Zelenskyy says Donald Trump can be a game changer on Ukraine, but what will the new U.S. position actually mean on the

ground. Plus, a powerful typhoon rake through parts of Asia, leaving death and destruction in its wake. We'll have the very latest for you from the

region.

And Jimmy Kimmel's late night show returns to some U.S. airwaves, but the controversy surrounding his comments is far from over. Stock market in New

York opens about 30 minutes from now. Stock futures pointing to a marginally higher open at the start of the trading day.

Back for you for the bell at 09:30 a.m. local time. Well, this hour, Ukraine's President will take to the podium at the U.N. General Assembly

after what he calls a game changing shift in tone on Russia's war from his U.S. counterpart. Volodymyr Zelenskyy, says he briefed Donald Trump on the

current situation in his country when they met Tuesday on the sidelines of the General Assembly.

President Trump then posting on his social media site that he thinks Ukraine, with EU support, can win back all its territory from Russia. That

is a flip flop from his repeated assertions that Ukraine will have to cede territory to end the war. President Zelenskyy told reporters that President

Trump's new stance can be key to finally achieving peace.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

VOLODYMYR ZELENSKYY, PRESIDENT OF UKRAINE: -- Trump is a game changer by himself, if he will be sure in Ukraine and I think that he is closer now to

this situation.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ANDERSON: Well, these latest developments likely to be discussed when U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio and the Russian Foreign Minister Sergey

Lavrov, meet later today on the sidelines of the event. Well, Nic Robertson with us this hour from London. He's our International Diplomatic Editor.

And Nic, President Zelenskyy, then set to take to the podium, emboldened, it seems, by Donald Trump's latest comments. What do you make of those?

What do we make of this shift in tone by the U.S. President? What might we expect today?

NIC ROBERTSON, CNN INTERNATIONAL DIPLOMATIC EDITOR: I think what everyone will watch for is this just another flip flop by President Trump. Will he

when he's had conversations with Vladimir Putin or whomever, then changed his mind again. That's been consistent. His inconsistency has been

consistent.

So, I think that would be one thing to watch, but it's interesting listening to some of the language that he laid out yesterday in his Truth

Social post calling Russia a paper tiger, by which they've actually pushed back and said no, the family spokesman has said, we're not a paper tiger.

We're a real bear. But I think you get a sense from what President Trump is saying. He's very clearly a president that thinks about his MAGA base, who

don't want the United States to be engaged in international conflicts. And he laid out several things yesterday at the UNGA his speech, he spoke about

how, again, he's managed to raise NATO commitment from 2 percent the GDP on defense spending to 5 percent.

But he appears to be selling the war and that clip you used there, the quote from his post also saying that that the Europeans with their support,

with European Union support, therefore Ukraine can win this territory back. And he also said again, and this would speak to his base that we asked the

United States is selling NATO those weapons or putting them in NATO's hands.

NATO's paying for them and then giving them to the Ukrainians again. And he said, good luck to them with that. It's almost as if he's saying, well,

actually, we're not really involved. Now, that's the kind of language his MAGA base can accept, because it's not he appears not to be dragging them

deeper into a conflict in Ukraine.

Yet he does seem to be standing closer by Ukraine, supporting his earlier commitments to provide weapons to NATO members in Europe who will pay for

them and provide them to Ukraine. Maybe that's the way to analyze it. But again, his inconsistency is a trademark.

So how long does he stick to this position? Perhaps we'll get a sense of that from Zelenskyy when he speaks today.

ANDERSON: It's good to have you Nic. I'm going to leave it there for the time being. I want to get on to Europe's reaction.

[09:05:00]

CNN's Ben Wedeman joining us from Rome. And Ben, I think it's important to drill down on what Donald Trump said yesterday in somewhat dressing down

European countries when it comes to Ukraine and Russia. He caught leaders somewhat off guard in his tone. I can imagine there is a lot of uncertainty

now on the continent.

And Trump himself seemed uncertain when meeting with Ursula von der Leyen on Tuesday. Let's just firstly, have a listen to how he introduced the

European Commission.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DONALD TRUMP, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA: It's a great honor to be with a very powerful, very smart woman and a friend of mine become a

friend of mine, and she does a fantastic job running lots of different nations and Ursula. Thank you very much for being with us. Thank you.

URSULA VON DER LEYEN, PRESIDENT OF THE EUROPEAN COMMISSION: Thank you.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ANDERSON: It's a fantastic job running lots of different nations, to which she just said, thank you. Donald Trump, very specifically, telling European

nations that they need to draw down on their reliance on Russian energy and sort of get their house in order. As he shifted his tone, as we've heard

somewhat on the conflict in Ukraine, just how is Europe reacting at this point?

BEN WEDEMAN, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, I think each leader is reacting differently. I mean, for instance, French President

Emmanuel Macron seemed to be very positive about presidents, President Trump's statements and posts on social media.

Of course, the French President, I think, likes to see himself as the Trump whisperer who's always trying to please the very unpredictable American

President and sort of say what he thinks Trump wants to hear. But for instance, Petr Pavel, the Czech President, I think, spoke for many of other

European leaders who didn't want to be quite so blunt, who said, I'm a little bit cautious about different statements, because they need to be

supported by action.

Because if you look at Trump's statements, he's encouraging Ukraine to retake all of its territory from Russia, without really making reference to

the possible high cost that might involve for the Ukrainians in terms of blood. And, you know, he's not talking about sanctions on Russia.

He said, I think yesterday, we'll come back and think about that in a month. So certainly, behind closed doors, European leaders are very shaken

by the total instability and unpredictability of the current resident of the White House, who seems to blow hot and cold.

I mean, people were traumatized by watching Volodymyr Zelenskyy being mugged by President Trump and Vice President Vance back in February in the

White House, and since then, they've been sort of walking on tiptoes, trying not to offend or upset the American President, who, frankly, they're

having a hard time dealing with, given he is so unpredictable.

Now, our colleague Nick Paton Walsh wrote a very good analysis that's on cnn.com in which he said Trump's policy remains a pendulum between world

views of allies the U.S. cannot live without, of course, the Europeans, and someone he inexplicably likes and still trusts, which is Putin.

And for European leaders, trying to find a middle road between these vacillating extremes is very difficult. They were encouraged, many of them,

by the statements made by President Trump, but they want to see what's he actually going to do and say tomorrow, Becky.

ANDERSON: In turn, he wants to see what the Europeans will do in reducing their reliance on Russian energy. That's the sort of quid pro quo, it

seems, for any sanctions that he might impose on Moscow. Ukraine will need a lot more resources and money to continue its fight at this point.

What's the latest on the freeing up of frozen Russian assets in Europe, estimated to be about 229 billion dollars.

WEDEMAN: Actually, Becky, I'll be frank, I don't actually know. We have all the details at my fingertips, but certainly in terms of whether that's

released or not.

[09:10:00]

You know, Ukraine has a population of about 40 million compared to Russia, which is much, much more, and they're already sort of pushed to the wall in

terms of the military effort and as much money as you throw at the problem, they don't have enough people, really, to do more at this point than to

hold the line.

And I was very close to the front lines just a month ago in Ukraine, and it is a struggle, as Nic was pointing out in the previous live shot. You know,

even though President Trump said, Russia has proven to be a paper tiger, they're not a paper tiger on the front lines. They are a formidable

military force that is exacting a very high price from Ukraine.

And no matter how many billions of dollars you release or you manage to get out of frozen Russian assets in Europe, if you don't have the manpower to

use it, then it really doesn't make much difference, Becky.

ANDERSON: Yeah, very good point. It's good to have you, Ben, thank you very much indeed. And more out of the U.N. as we get it, standing by, of course,

for that Zelenskyy speech. Well breaking news out of Texas now, where at least three people have been injured in a shooting at a U.S. Immigration

and Customs Enforcement field office in Dallas.

Two law enforcement officials with knowledge of the incident say at least two detainees were among those shot a highway camera captured these images

of a heavy police presence outside the facility. ICE's Acting Director Todd Lyons told CNN last hour, preliminary information suggests a possible

sniper is responsible.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

TODD LYONS, ACTING DIRECTOR OF U.S. IMMIGRATION AND CUSTOMS ENFORCEMENT: There were shots fired at our Dallas field office right now, preliminary

information is a possible sniper. We have three individuals that are down at this time. We're not sure on their condition. They've been taken to the

hospital.

We're hearing some reports that the shooter may be down from the Texas Department of Public Safety. The scene secure, you know, obviously, right

now, my hearts and prayers are going out to my officers and agents. That's my biggest concern, and as well as everyone in that area.

But this just shows the violence that's being increased against ICE officers and agents. This is the second time now we've had a shooting at

one of our facilities in the Dallas area. And really, it's just a sad time that we have to worry about violence against law enforcement.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ANDERSON: Well, according to U.S. Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem, the suspect is dead from a self-inflicted gunshot wound. And we will

continue, of course, follow this story and bring you any updates as we get them. Well, nearly 2 million people have been forced to flee their homes as

powerful typhoon Ragasa slams into China's Guangdong Province, one of the most world's most densely populated coasts.

The storm, which a few days ago, was the strongest on earth so far this year has already left behind a trail of destruction, triggering landslides

and flooding before bringing parts of Southern China to a standstill. The storm barreled through Taiwan, leaving at least 17 people dead.

Rescuers are scrambling to locate 17 others still missing after a natural dam holding back a lake collapsed on Tuesday, unleashing 68 million tons of

water. Well Hong Kong beginning to clean up the damage as the typhoon moves out. The powerful storm left 82 people injured across that city, delivering

hurricane force winds and whipping up waves that inundated waterfront areas, including the lobby of this hotel. CNN's Hanako Montgomery walks us

through some of the destruction.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

HANAKO MONTGOMERY, CNN CORRESPONDENT: We're in one of the worst hit areas in Hong Kong, called Tseung Kwan O, and as you can tell, just over there,

the sea, I mean, it's very, very close to this waterfront, and there's a concrete sea wall, but it didn't really do much to protect these

restaurants from these massive sea swells and storm surges.

We've seen photos and videos emerge from the typhoon showing massive waves just inundating these restaurants and causing very extensive damage. In

fact, I want to show you just over here, you can see the doors to these restaurants have come off their hinges. Glass is just shattered everywhere.

And there's a massive number of debris, just furniture shooting about everywhere. In fact, over in the distance, you can kind of see these metal

barriers that were actually installed to prevent flooding, but clearly it didn't really do much to prevent any of this damage from affecting these

restaurants.

Now, we did speak to the owner of this specific restaurant a little while earlier, and he told us that when he saw those images of his restaurant

just getting hit with massive amounts of water, it looked almost like a tsunami, and he said that it could take several weeks for his restaurant to

get back and running again.

[09:15:00]

VIVIANO ROMITO, OWNER OF FRITES RESTAURANTS: Across the group, we're pretty upset. We get like I said, we'll get through it. We've had damage before in

other venues, and we've gotten together and make sure that we get up and running as fast as possible.

But, you know, everyone's devastated. It's hard to come with when you see something that you build getting destroyed overnight pretty quickly.

MONTGOMERY: Now, as you can see, I'm standing in some flood water here, and it's pretty deep. I mean, it's nearly up to my knees, and this is just one

of the many examples of pretty bad flooding that we've seen across the city because of this typhoon. Now the storm has moved on from Hong Kong and

Macau.

It's currently hitting Mainland China, but the Hong Kong government has warned residents to stay inside, to continue hunkering down, because

clearly the weather is still adverse, and they are expecting more flooding in the coming hours. Hanako Montgomery, CNN, Hong Kong.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

ANDERSON: I want to turn back now to what's been happening at the U.N. this week, the British Foreign Secretary hosted a session to hear from doctors

who have recently returned from Gaza.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

YVETTE COOPER, BRITISH FOREIGN SECRETARY: The stories they told would stay with me forever. One told of the screams of toddlers and the scream of a

toddler who she had operated on without full anesthetics, and how she hoped and prayed that he would not feel pain.

And as we are gathered here, Israeli forces are escalating the conflict in Gaza City, pounding more homes into rubble, sending frightened families

scattering. It is incomprehensible, it is inhumane, it is utterly unjustifiable, and it must end.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ANDERSON: Well Israeli tanks are now deep into Gaza City as the assault there intensifies. Hospitals across the Enclave report 64 Palestinians

killed in the past day. Well, every day since this new offensive began, the death toll is in the dozens, if not the hundreds. Palestinian journalists

on the ground work tirelessly to bring us the realities of what is happening there.

My colleague, Jomana Karadsheh has been working with them to bring us this devastating story. A little girl named Nour Dalloul who was killed by an

Israeli strike. She was only four years old, and she was her parents only child. And I must warn you, some of the images in Jomana report are graphic

and they are difficult to watch.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

JOMANA KARADSHEH, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): She's my only child. I had her after six years of trying, Nidal (ph) cries. They didn't take their

little Nour out with them, thinking she'd be safer staying here with her grandparents. They warned, saying they were going to strike that building.

They didn't say they would hit this one, he says, Nidal (ph) and Mervet (ph) were out searching for a place for a tent, for any shelter in the

south of Gaza when an Israeli strike hit this building in Gaza city, where many displaced, including their family, were sheltering somewhere in this

smoldering rubble is their four-year-old Nour.

Nour, my darling daughter, Mervet (ph) screams, holding on to the hope that somehow Nour may have survived this. Please get her out, she pleads. My

daughter is tough. She's smart. No words are enough to comfort parents so distraught. God bless her soul, he tells them. No, no, my soul will be gone

with her, Mervet (ph) cries, refusing to accept what is now clear to all those around her.

With their bare hands, they dig, searching for their Nour, the rescuer emerges from the rubble carrying the lifeless body of a little girl. It's

Nour, my daughter, my only daughter, Mervet (ph) -- I love you. I swear. I love you. I told the kindergarten I would get them the 50 shekels they

asked for.

I said, let her be happy in her final days. But she still refuses to believe her baby girl is gone. She tries to resuscitate her. She's

suffocating, she says. Nour is one of hundreds of victims in Israel's renewed military offensive in Gaza City, one out of a daily dust toll that

may or may not make headlines on this day.

But this one for Nidal (ph), his Nour was his whole world. Jomana Karadsheh, CNN, London.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

ANDERSON: You're watching "Connect the World" live from our Middle East programming headquarters here in Abu Dhabi. I'm Becky Anderson. And we are

waiting for the Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy to speak at the U.N. General Assembly. We are currently hearing from the King of Spain.

[09:20:00]

Zelenskyy will speak after what he calls the U.S. President's potential game changing pivot on Russia's wall, bring you his speech as soon as that

starts. Plus, American talk show host Jimmy Kimmel makes an emotional return after his sudden suspension, drawing praise from his fans and a new

threat from the U.S. President.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

ANDERSON: American talk show host Jimmy Kimmel returned to his show on Tuesday by defending free speech and making jokes about President Donald

Trump. Once again, executives at Disney and ABC temporarily suspended Kimmel's show last week over remarks that he made surrounding the death of

the Political Activist Charlie Kirk.

Well, the suspension sparked protests and heated debate in the U.S. over free speech in a Truth Social post President Trump slammed ABC for putting

Kimmel back on the air threatening legal action against the network. Kimmel, meantime, is defending his actions and addressing controversy

surrounding him during Tuesday's show. Have a listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JIMMY KIMMEL, HOST OF "JIMMY KIMMEL LIVE!": This show is not important. What is important is that we get to live in a country that allows us to

have a show like this. I've had the opportunity to meet and spend time with comedians and talk show hosts from countries like Russia, countries in the

Middle East, who told me they would get thrown in prison for making fun of those in power, and worse than being thrown in prison. They know how lucky

we are here. Our freedom to speak is what they admire most about this country.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ANDERSON: Well, CNN's Chief Media Analyst, Brian Stelter, joining me now. And I'm going to just say a caveat this. If we need to break into this

interview, apologies. We are standing by for Florida. Zelenskyy at the United Nations. So, it wasn't just politics last night, Brian.

There were some emotional moments too. Let's have a listen to another clip from Kimmel's show, and I'll get your reaction.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

KIMMEL: I've been hearing a lot about what I need to say and do tonight, and the truth is, I don't think what I have to say, is going to make much

of a difference if you like me, like me, if you don't, you don't. I have no illusions about changing anyone's mind, but I do want to make something

clear, because it's important to me as a human and that is, you understand that it was never my intention to make light of the murder of a young man.

I don't --

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ANDERSON: Yeah, how do you think Kimmel handled his return? Hold that thought, Brian. Zelenskyy is just coming to the podium, as I anticipated.

Hold that thought. Let's have a listen in to Volodymyr Zelenskyy at the United Nations.

[09:25:00]

ZELENSKYY: -- as much as we do today. No one but ourselves can guarantee, only strong alliances, only strong partners, and only our own weapons. The

21st century isn't much different from the past. If a nation wants peace, it still has to work on weapons.

It's sick, but that's the reality, not international law, not corporation weapons, decide who survives excellence is, you know, perfectly well,

international law doesn't work fully unless you have powerful friends who are truly willing to stand up for it, and even that doesn't work without

weapons, it's terrible, but without it, things will be even worse.

There are no security guarantees except friends and weapons, no Ukrainian choice this kind of reality and knowing our people, they would have chosen

a different priority. Ukrainians are peaceful people, but they are people who want to live. To live freely in their own independent country.

That's why we invest in defense. For many nations, there is simply no other way left. Nations can speak about their pain from stages like this, but

even during bloodshed, there isn't a signal international institution that can truly stop it. That's how weak these institutions have become.

What can Sudan or Somalia or Palestine or any other people living through war really expect from the U.N. or the global system for decades, just

statements and statements and even everything happening in Gaza reminds without a way out. Even now, Syria, after all the changes, still has to

appeal to the world to ease the sanctions that are choking its economy.

It has to ask and wait. Syria deserves stronger support from the international community, and as Russia's war against my country goes on,

people are still dying every week. Yet there is no ceasefire because Russia refuses. Russia abducted thousands of Ukrainian children, and we have

brought some of them back.

And I thank, I thank everyone who's helped. But how long will it take to bring all of them whom childhood slips away faster than adults are able to

help? Look at Israel. Nearly two years have passed, and hostages still haven't been freed. They must be free. But even that still hasn't happened.

And for years, there have been no real answers to other threats, either chemical weapon and famine used as a weapon. Last year at this assembly, I

warned the world about the risk of radiation disasters, especially due to Russia's occupations of our Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant, the biggest

in Europe, but nothing is changed, nothings.

And yesterday, the plant went into blackout again, and Russia hasn't stopped shelling, even in areas near a nuclear facility and because of

international institutions are too weak, this madness continues. Even being part of a long-standing military alliance doesn't automatically mean you

are safe.

Just recently, 19 simple Russian drones violated Polish airspace, and only four were shut down. Luckily, they were not Shaheed or even worse,

otherwise, the results would have been horrific. Estonia had to call a U.N. Security Council meeting for the first time in history because Russian

fighter jets deliberately entered its airspace.

Moldova is defending itself again from Russia's interference. We have helping Moldova, and Russia's trying to do to Moldova what Iran once did to

Lebanon. And the global response again, not enough. We have already lost Georgia in Europe. Human Rights and the European nature of the state system

are only shrinking there.

[09:30:00]

Georgia is dependent on Russia. And for many, many years, Belarus has also been moving toward dependence on Russia. Europe cannot afford to lose

Moldova too. It's important to remember, how the world once ignored the need to help Georgia after Russia's attack, and how the moment was missed

with Belarus, how Moldova must not be lost.

And for Europe, supporting Moldova's stability is not costly, but failing to do so will come at a much higher price. That's why the EU needs to help

Moldova now with funding and energy support, not just wars or political gestures. We must not forget about protecting the rights of people and the

rights of nations in regions where these rights are under threat.

The U.N. Charter and the Universal Declaration of Human Rights must apply everywhere, but the Taliban in Afghanistan dragged a whole country back

into the dark ages. Cartels in some Latin America countries are more powerful than the government there. This is all about collapse of

international law and the weakness of the international institutions.

And so, it's about the rise of weapons. Weapons decide who survives, excellencies. Yesterday, President Trump stood right here in his school and

that saved him from a murder attempt during the campaign, a shot was fired from a rifle and just a fraction of an inch saved his life.

Just days ago, president, along with hundreds of thousands of Americans, honored the memory of Charlie Kirk, sadly, his life was cut short by a

bullet, once again, violence with a rifle in hand. We also mourn the Ukrainian woman Iryna Zarutska. She was brutally killed with a knife here

in America, the very country where she was seeking refuge from Russia's war.

And almost every day, when we open the news, we see headlines about violent attacks happening all around the world, most of it is done with weapons

people are already used to but weapons are evolving faster than our ability to defend ourselves. Now, there are tens of thousands of people who know

how to professionally kill using drones.

Stopping that kind of attack is harder than stopping any gun, knife or bomb. This is what Russia has brought with its war. It used to be that only

the strongest countries could use drones because they were expensive and complex. Now even simple drones can fly thousands of kilometers.

War tech doesn't care about geography anymore. It's now reshaping it. Just recently, airports in Europe had to shut down because of drones.

Authorities couldn't even say what kind of drones they were, who sent them or from where. Last week, North Korea announced the test of a tactical

strike drone.

That means even countries with limited resources can now build weapons that are dangerous to their neighbors. Ukraine and nations like Saudi Arabia

know all too well how dangerous Iranian attack drones are. But what happens when all the types of drones become available, even to small terrorist

groups or cartels?

The world moves too slowly to protect itself, and weapons move fast. Now, companies are already working on drones that can shoot down other drones,

and it's only a matter of time, not much before drones are fighting drones taking critical infrastructure and targeting people all by themselves,

fully autonomous and no human involved except the few who control AI systems.

Dear leaders, we are now living through the most destructive arms race in human history, because this time includes. It includes artificial

intelligence.

[09:35:00]

And if there are no real security guarantees except friends and weapons, and if the world can't respond even to all threats, and if there is no

strong platform for international security, will there be any place left on earth that's still safe for people. We need global rules now for how AI can

be used in weapons, and this is just as urgent as preventing the spread of nuclear weapons.

We need to restore international cooperation, real working cooperation for peace and for security a few years from now might already be too late. 10

years ago, war looked different, and no one imagined that cheap drones could create dead zones, areas stretching for dozens of kilometers where

nothing moves, no vehicles, no life.

People used to imagine that, only after a nuclear strike. Now it's drawn reality, mass produced, simple drones and without AI yet. Ukraine doesn't

have the big fat missiles dictators love to show off in parades, but we do have drones that can fly up to 2, 3000 kilometers.

We had no choice but to build them to protect our right to life. Control over the sea used to depend on having a big navy. Ukraine doesn't have a

big fleet, but we succeeded in the Black Sea. We pushed what's left of the Russian Navy into remote base, and we did it with sea drones.

That's how we protect our poor and maritime trade routes, because Russia has left us no other choice. And our spider web operation, when cheap

drones destroyed or damaged dozens of expensive Russian strategic bombers became a real example for special forces around the world of what new

weapons can do to old systems.

These very Russian bombers attacked our cities. And none of these would have happened if Putin had not started this full-scale aggression, full

scale war. And every year that this war goes on, weapons become even more deadly, and only Russia deserves to be blamed for this, dear leaders to

protect lives.

Ukraine builds underground schools and underground hospitals to protect lives. We have to spend more on protecting power stations from drone and

missile attacks than on building sports facilities or cultural infrastructure. Ukrainian farmers are learning how to protect their

equipment from Russia's FPV drone strikes, and for them, that challenge is far greater than climate change.

Russia's war has put us in this situation. But do you have protection against similar threats? The facts are simple, stopping this war now and

with it, the global arms race is cheaper than building underground kindergartens or massive bunkers for critical infrastructure later.

Stopping Putin now is cheaper than trying to protect every port and every ship from terrorists with sea drones. Stopping Russia now is cheaper than

wondering who will be the force to create a simple drone carrying a nuclear warhead. So, we must use everything we have together to force the aggressor

to stop.

And only then do we have a real chance that this arms race will not end in catastrophe for all of us, if it takes weapons to do it, if it takes

pressure on Russia, then it must be done, and it must be done now. Otherwise, Putin will keep driving the war forward wider and deeper.

And we told you before, Ukraine is only the first, and now Russian drones are already flying across Europe, and Russian operations are already

spreading across countries, and Putin wants to continue this war by expanding it. And no one can feel safe right now. The first we are now

building a new security architecture for ourselves.

More than 30 countries are already part of our coalition, and we are strengthening army, launching joint weapons production with partners, and

defining financial commitments for defense in a way that could become a security model for any other nation, if security guarantees work for

Ukraine something more than just France and weapons.

[09:40:00]

It will mean that people were able to make national security, not a privilege for a few nations, but a right for everyone. Second, we are ready

to make our modern weapons become your modern security, your modern weapon, and we have decided to open up arms exports. These are powerful systems

tested in a real war when every international institution failed.

And we are also ready to grow our defense production together with strong partners so that their protection is modern and reliable. You don't need to

start this race from scratch. We're ready to share what has already proven itself in real defense. And third, many in the world still relaxed, still.

But look at how many countries are here at this General Assembly, countries that are at war or just came out of war, or are trying to stop one or

openly getting ready for one. War has already reached too many people to pretend it has nothing to do with you. So, it depends on you whether you

help peace or continue trading with Russia and helping Russia to fund this war.

It depends on you whether prisoners or war will be freed, whether abducted children will come home, where the hostages will be free. It depends on

you, what will define existence war like now, or our joint strong actions as it should be. Yesterday, we had a good meeting with President Trump, and

I also spoke with many other strong leaders, and together, we can change a lot.

Of course, we are doing everything to make sure Europe truly helps and of course, we count on the United States. I appreciate the support we are

receiving. Yes, much depends on the G7 and G20 but in the end, peace depends on all of us, on the United Nations. So don't stay silent while

Russia keeps dragging this war on.

Please speak out and condemn it. Please join us in defending life and international law and order. People are waiting for action. Thank you so

much. Slava Ukraini.

ANDERSON: Well Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy speaking there at the U.N. General Assembly. And given his history of speaking at length in

front of international audiences. I have to say, I think he actually kept to time, which is possibly one of the first of these speakers who has done

so there at the U.N.

He started by chastising the U.N., somewhat echoing Donald Trump's speech on Monday for the global systems collapse and weakness as he described it.

He said the world moves too slowly to protect itself. He talked about other countries where there are conflicts, where he feels the world is silent.

He also talked about the importance of protecting other countries in Europe. So, he extended his message and his sort of vision as he laid it

out to a degree in front of those gathered in the hall. He extended outside of Ukraine, but of course, he focused very much on the war, Russia's war on

Ukraine.

And he said, don't wait and watch while Russia drags this war on. Nic Robertson is with us this hour from London. What did you make of what we

just heard from the Ukrainian President?

ROBERTSON: Yeah, you're right. It was very focused. It was reminiscent of some of his earlier speeches, getting to the core message about needing

weapons. He didn't sort of address that in a way to reference President Trump's apparent shift in position, a new commitment, a verbal commitment.

A lot of people have made that very clear, rather than a military commitment, but Zelenskyy, that you know, making it very clear, from

Ukraine's perspective, that without weapons, even if you've got strong friends and allies in the absence of international law that counts for

something.

[09:45:00]

I -- international laws that stop countries like Russia invading a neighbor like Ukraine in the absence of strong international institutions, which

have met many times to condemn what's happening in Gaza and many other conflicts and failed to come to unanimity in that scenario, weapons are the

answer.

And he said that, you know, ultimately you have to blame President Putin for the fact that we've developed so many weapons, and we're willing to

share our weapons, and that will our security is -- our security today is sort of your security tomorrow is the case that he was making, but it was

very, very clear to me that the overriding message there is.

We need to reform these international organizations. We need to strengthen the ability of international bodies like the U.N. to have the writ of

international law actually means something otherwise. And he painted this dreadful scenario of drone-on-drone future conflicts where the drones,

unlike today, are actually controlled by AI. You know, he said, we're in an arms race of all time. And I think that was a very stark thing for him to

say, as a leader whose country is enduring 3.5 years of war. So, it was a very stark image he painted of the future without these changes.

And again, that appeal to support Ukraine, to put pressure on President Putin and remind everyone that the war may not be with you today, but look

around the room, because so many of you in this room are close to preparing, had been through or are in wars, it is coming to you. So, this

was quite a dark scenario of the future without significant changes that he was making.

ANDERSON: And a message, as you rightly point out, to a room full of delegates from countries around the world. This, of course, a speech made

in the wake of a conversation held with U.S. President Donald Trump, who has posted on Ukraine and Russia in the past 24 hours.

Let's just remind our viewers what he said and why it is that the White House says that his sort of pivot to a degree on Ukraine is meant to

pressure Vladimir Putin, despite, it has to be said a lack of sanctions or military aid, Nic.

ROBERTSON: Yeah, it's fascinating. The flip is huge, because until recently, everyone understood that President Trump's message to President

Zelenskyy was, you're going to have to surrender territory to get peace. Yesterday, he said, with the support of the Europeans, you can win back

that land peace, as Marco Rubio, U.S. Secretary of State, said, will be found around the negotiating table, but the route to that negotiating table

President Trump seemed to allude to was pushing Russia out of Ukraine.

He didn't say which weapons were going to do that or how that would be achieved. But that was a huge shift. And you know, for President Trump, who

so often says one thing, waits before he acts on it then changes his mind. You know, one should be cautious, but it does appear to be a shift.

And I think that's the context here that we hear President Zelenskyy in today. You know, thanking President Trump. It was sort of notable that he

picked up on scenarios where cartels in Latin America are stronger than governments. This is something that's important to President Trump.

He several times repeated the need for Hamas to release the hostages in Gaza, themes that are very important to President Trump as well. Zelenskyy

is very mindful of who his main benefactor is here, and that, that benefactor appears to have essentially switch message giving Ukraine

providing against the weapon.

Zelenskyy talked about the opportunity. One finds it hard to imagine how to reverse the battle lines as they are, but I think President Trump even

indicated yesterday that it may take some time. This is something new as well. He wanted an end to the war. He wanted an end to the war in 24 hours

in a week, because of all the deaths they had said.

So, you know, Zelenskyy has the moment to speak to this global gathering here, but I think a lot of the messaging there, really, you could find he

would want President Trump to tune into.

ANDERSON: Yeah, it's good to have you, Nic. Thank you very much indeed. You've been listening to CNN's International Diplomatic Editor. Nic

Robertson, out of London. We will be right back. I'm Becky Anderson. You're watching "Connect the World" here from Abu Dhabi.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[09:50:00]

ANDERSON: Right. Well, let's get more perspective now on President Volodymyr Zelenskyy's addressed to the United Nations. He wrapped up just a

few minutes ago. Tymofiy Mylovanov is President at the Kyiv School of Economics and Ukraine's Former Minister of Economic Development and Trade.

Good to have you today. You've just listened to the Ukrainian President address the hall at the United Nations. What did you make of what he said?

To your mind, what are the key takeaways?

TYMOFIY MYLOVANOV, PRESIDENT OF KYIV SCHOOL OF ECONOMICS: I think President Zelenskyy is trying to convey to the world that the war can end, but that

requires consolidated support, both of NATO, but overall, of the Western world. And he's trying to find ways to convince everyone and sort of pull

to Ukraine, you know, attract attention to Ukraine, argue his cause and get support defense support, national security support and funding to continue

for Ukraine to stay independent. But it is a challenging job.

ANDERSON: Couple of things I want to discuss with you. First President Donald Trump's seen pivot over the last 24 hours. I want to get your

impression on that, and given your former file, I do want to address the comments by Donald Trump to Europe yesterday about weaning themselves off

Russian oil.

And until such a time as they do that there will be, it seems, at least no sanctions on Russia, which, you know, I think most people agree, sanctions

would clearly have a massive impact on Russia's financing of this war. Let's start with Trump's seeming pivot yesterday, his new position may be

heartening for some in Ukraine, but the practical reality of actually taking back all the territory that Russia has taken is a big ask.

Donald Trump has always said in the past, effectively, that's not going to be possible. He seems to have done a U-turn on that. What impact do you

think, one, this might have on the ground, and two, whether that is in any way realistic?

MYLOVANOV: Yeah. So, everyone -- at least everyone I talked to in Kyiv, including military commanders and politicians and just people, including

students, have been surprised by such a U-turn. It's very black and white. You know, Ukraine cannot take any territory back.

Now, Ukraine can take all of territory back. Everything is possible, but that requires real support and economic, financial defense, military

weapons. So of course, you know, if you compare the Russian economy and even the Russian military strength with combined, not even NATO, but just

sort of combined the EU.

ANDERSON: Yeah.

MYLOVANOV: Russia is just, you know, just behind Italy in terms of GDP. Russia can be stopped and can be won. Is there a will to do that? Well,

it's unclear. So, I think that's very interesting. Will it have any effect on the ground? I don't think so. The previous negative remarks about

Ukraine didn't have much of an effect on either on morale or on realities, on the -- of the contact line, and people do not expect that there will be

a change.

ANDERSON: Yeah. Let's very specifically talk about this position with the EU and their reliance on Russian oil, yesterday.

[09:55:00]

Have a listen to. Ursula von der Leyen had to say in response to that briefly.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

LEYEN: President Trump is absolutely right. We're honored. We have reduced already massively the gas supply from Russia, completely gotten out of

Russian coal and massively also reduced the oil supply. But there's still some coming to the European continent.

So, what we do now we put sanctions out to those ports where, for example, LNG is coming from Russia, and we want to put tariffs on oil supplies that

are still coming to the European Union.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ANDERSON: Right. Very briefly, I've got less than a minute. Has Europe done enough on the economic front during this war?

MYLOVANOV: It can do more. Of course, the oil is coming mostly to Hungary. There are indirect supplies. So, I think direct supplies of oil and gas are

limited to a couple of countries, and it's political. And I think the U.S. and Trump can do actually a lot to stop it too, by talking to urban for

example.

But there are indirect supplies through, let's say, refineries in India of higher end products like gasoline, petroleum, so that needs to be stopped

as well.

ANDERSON: It's good to have you, sir. Thank you very much indeed. Important day, just moments after, we heard from the Ukrainian President. Thank you.

That's it for the first hour of "Connect the World". We're taking a very short break. I will be back with the very latest from the U.N. General

Assembly after this.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[10:00:00]

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