Freya Scott-Turner
Live reporter

Image source, Reuters

As the United Nations headed into the second day of its General Assembly, Donald Trump's comments yesterday that Kyiv can "win all of Ukraine back in its original form" hung over proceedings.

During his address, Ukraine's Volodymyr Zelensky renewed his warnings over Russia's aggression. Vladimir Putin "will keep driving the war forward", he said, telling them: "Stopping him now is cheaper."

Reeling from a recent Russian incursion into its airspace, the President of Estonia echoed Zelensky's warnings, urging for more collective action to stop a Kremlin "willing to inflict destruction".

On the sidelines of the gathering, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio told his Russian counterpart Sergei Lavrov to "stop the killing".

The Middle East was also in focus, with Ahmad al-Sharaa becoming the first Syrian president to address the UN since 1967. He called for an easing of sanctions still in place on Syria and for international condemnation of recent Israeli strikes on his territory.

Elsewhere, Iran's Masoud Pezeshkian told delegates that his country has "not sought and will never seek" to build a nuclear bomb. France's Emmanuel Macron later issued a warning that Iran has "hours" left to secure a deal to allow international inspection of its nuclear programmes, or else face fresh sanctions.

We're ending our live coverage for the time being but there is plenty more to read about today's developments at the UN elsewhere on the BBC News website:

• Read our full-write up of Zelensky's address to the UN
• Our Russia editor in Moscow, Steve Rosenberg has analysed the reaction within Russia to Trump's comments yesterday

Lina Sinjab
Middle East correspondent, reporting from Damascus

This was an historic moment for Syria and Syrians.

For many Syrians, it is a moment that shows they are back on the world stage after decades of isolation and 15 years of war.

In a brief and confident speech, President Sharaa said Syria is on a continuous journey towards a brighter future. But he recognised the challenges inside the country, and also highlighted security threats - especially from Israel. While he condemned the attacks on Syrian territory, he stressed the importance of talks to achieve stability.

Sharaa also called for sanctions to be fully lifted so that Syria has the chance to rebuild after years of war.

Syria’s story has not come to an end, he told the UN, but is continuing towards a "new chapter of peace, prosperity and development".

This speech represents is a big success for many in Syria - but many others are worried about internal politics.

Sharaa made promises of a diverse, inclusive government of technocrats, but many fear the real decision-makers are his own Islamist hardliner groups, who are trying to enforce a change in the society.

He is also accused of a lack of transparency and control over the country’s resources and economy, something that triggers fears that what Assad did to Syria could be repeated.

Image source, Reuters

Earlier we reported that US Secretary of State Marco Rubio had met Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly in New York.

We now have a short statement from Rubio's team, giving a little detail about how the conversation went.

"The secretary [Rubio] reiterated President Trump’s call for the killing to stop and the need for Moscow to take meaningful steps toward a durable resolution of the Russia-Ukraine war," the brief statement reads.

Image source, Reuters

Turning from Syria briefly, we were also listening to speeches from the leaders of Estonia and Latvia earlier, two countries which have been vocal in warning about Russian provocation in recent years.

"Russia doesn't want peace", Latvia's President Edgars Rinkēvičs told the UN, and "is willing to inflict destruction and misery on others" to get what it wants. He called for more action to help Ukraine, who "is fighting for all of us".

Taking the floor shortly after, his Estonian counterpart President Alar Karis told the chamber that "the only viable way towards a ceasefire [in Ukraine], is to increase collective international pressure on Russia".

His comments come days after the incursion of three Russian MiG-31 fighter jets into Estonia's airspace.

He said that incident was "another escalation and a stark reminder of Russia's aggressions" towards the whole region.

While some international sanctions against Syria have been lifted by Western governments, Sharaa calls for a complete end to measures "so that they no longer shackle the Syrian people".

He says Syria is rebuilding itself, through institutions and laws that guarantee the rights of all without exception. This, he says, will help turn the page on a wretched past.

"Truth has come and falsehood has perished," he goes on, telling the hall that Syria is reclaiming its rightful place among the nations of the world.

Sharaa ends by saying Syrians know all too well the horrors of war and reaffirms his support for Gaza.

And with that, he finishes his address to the UN. We'll bring you some analysis of his speech shortly.

Sharaa turns to Israel, its neighbour with which it has fought wars in the past. Israel has carried out strikes on targets in Syria since the Assad regime fell. Israel has said it will not allow military assets to fall into the hands of the new government, and that it has acted to protected the Druze minority.

He says the strikes have contradicted continued international support for Syria's new government, and calls for leaders around the world to condemn and deter further attacks.

Sharaa also outlines the change he says has taken place in Syria since his alliance of rebel forces overthrew Bashar al-Assad last year.

His government, he tells the UN, stands for "justice without vengeance", vowing that new state institutions will hold elements of the former regime to account.

But he does not address the sectarian violence which has broken out in parts of Syria since he took power.

Image source, Reuters

Syria's President Ahmad al-Sharaa begins by looking back at his country's turbulent recent history.

His country's story, he says, has reflected an eternal struggle "between good and evil", before adding that a new chapter is beginning.

Sharaa reminds the UN of the oppressive rule faced by Syrians over the last 60 years under the Assad regime, which he says used depravation, injustice, torture and chemical weapons against the population.

Syria was "torn apart" he continues, and its civil war drew fighters from around the world.

Image source, Reuters

Syrian President Ahmad al-Sharaa is set to address the UN General Assembly in the next few minutes.

He led a rebel offensive that overthrew Bashar al-Assad in December last year, and will be the first Syrian president to speak at the UN General Assembly since 1967.

You can watch at the top of the page and we'll bring you the key news lines here.

Nada Tawfik
Reporting from the United Nations in New York

Before Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa went into UN headquarters to deliver his speech - which is due to start soon - he took a moment to greet and wave at his supporters who have gathered in New York.

They cheered loudly for him and waved their Syrian flags in national pride. I spoke to a few of them.

Hoda Kasem, 53 and from West Virginia, said she felt really proud to have the new Syrian president in the United States - that it felt like their voices were being heard after surviving the Assad regime.

"We went through a lot and it’s a victory, it’s justice to see him here," she told me.

She said she wants him to declare in his speech that Syria is for all Syrians, and that they stand united.

Zeina Alshahrouh, 19, was there with her sister and father, equally excited. She said she wants to continue to see al-Sharaa prioritise building relations with other countries.

As we mentioned earlier, the Syrian leader has completely transformed his image - and this is further evidence of that.

Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov has held talks with his US counterpart, according to Russian media.

The Kremlin briefed earlier that he was expected to meet Secretary of State Marco Rubio on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly.

The face-to-face talks come after Donald Trump signalled an apparent major shift in position on the Ukraine war yesterday, saying he now believes Kyiv can retake territory occupied by Russia in full.

Neither side has released further details of what Lavrov and Rubio discussed - we'll bring you more if we get it.

Orla Guerin
Senior international correspondent, in Damascus

Image source, Getty Images

In the heart of the old city of Damascus, I found plenty of support for the country’s interim President Ahmed al-Sharaa, and pride that he – and Syria – are welcome on the world stage in New York this week.

“My dad doesn’t even remember the last time something like this happened,” says Naya, 21, a recent graduate of fashion design. “It has been so long.”

She will be watching al-Sharaa’s address to the United Nations General Assembly in the coming hours. “I think everyone will,” she says, with a smile.

It was only last December that al-Sharaa ousted Bashar al Assad from power. Many are willing to give the former rebel commander time to deliver, for now at least.

“I guess he’s doing his best,” says Salam, 25, an English teacher who points out her name means peace. “It’s a mess. It hasn’t even been a year yet. We have to be patient."

In the doorway of his silver shop, Elias says life in Syria is improving, but slowly.

“It’s like someone waking from a coma,” he says. “It’s little by little”.

From al-Qaeda to UNGA: The many faces of Syria's presidentpublished at 16:47 BST 24 September

16:47 BST 24 September

Orla Guerin
Senior international correspondent, in Damascus

Image source, Getty Images

Shortly, Syria's interim President Ahmed Al-Sharaa will make his debut at the UN General Assembly. Our correspondent in Damascus sends this dispatch:

If Ahmed al-Sharaa’s life story was a screenplay, Hollywood might reject it for being too far-fetched: a veteran Islamist fighter - who used to have a $10m (£7.4m) bounty on his head - is now welcome to speak at the United Nations General Assembly.

By any measure, it’s been quite a journey for the former member of al-Qaeda, who fought US forces in Iraq and was jailed by them there.

Last December, his rebel alliance swept to victory in Damascus, ending the brutal regime of Bashar al-Assad.

In short order he traded his camouflage uniform for smart suits, retired his nom de guerre – Abu Mohammed al-Jolani – and became interim president of Syria.

In a surreal moment this week, he was interviewed by the former CIA director David Petraeus in New York – who proclaimed himself “a fan” and asked if he was getting enough sleep.

There may be many more surreal moments to follow.

Zelensky must convert new momentum into long-term supportpublished at 16:30 BST 24 September

16:30 BST 24 September

James Waterhouse
Ukraine correspondent in Kyiv

Image source, Getty Images

Volodymyr Zelensky has typically used a global stage to issue a warning: that Vladimir Putin won’t stop at Ukraine.

Today at the UN, he was able to attach more supporting evidence to his claim, pointing to Russian airspace violations in Estonia and Poland, as well as alleged interference in Moldova’s upcoming elections.

He has political momentum after Donald Trump’s suggestion that Ukraine could “fight and win” the war, but he also must convert it into long-term support to somehow sustain his country’s fight.

What makes this task even tougher is the war in Ukraine being one of several issues in the spotlight.

The murder of Charlie Kirk, the recognition of a Palestinian state and Iran’s alleged nuclear ambitions are all being discussed alongside an invasion in its fourth year.

What was Zelensky trying to achieve?published at 16:10 BST 24 September

16:10 BST 24 September

Vitaliy Shevchenko
Russia editor, BBC Monitoring

President Zelensky used his speech at the UN General Assembly not just to appeal to others to help Ukraine, but also to tell nations across the globe that it was in their interests to do so.

Spending money on Ukraine now is cheaper than containing an ever more aggressive Russia in the future, he argued.

And Ukraine's got something to offer too - such as the cutting-edge weapons developed, tried and tested in the war with Russia, Zelensky said.

It looks like appeals to others' goodwill and a sense of what is the right thing to do increasingly need to be supplemented with appeals to their more selfish interests.

Image source, Reuters

Now for a quick recap of the key lines from Volodymyr Zelensky's speech to the United Nations General Assembly:

• The Ukrainian president warned that without stronger action by allies "Putin will keep driving the war forward wider and deeper", and said "Ukraine is only the first"
• The Ukrainian president criticised the weakness of international institutions for failing to curb Russia. He said that "stopping Putin now is cheaper" than countries trying to protect themselves from Russia later

• On AI and weapons such as drones, he said: "We are now living through the most destructive arms race in human history”, adding that global rules on AI need to be put in place
• Zelensky said he had a "good meeting" with Donald Trump on Tuesday but that while he values US support, "in the end, peace depends on all of us"

Iranian president's most prominent platform to datepublished at 15:43 BST 24 September

15:43 BST 24 September

Mehrnoosh Pourziaiee
BBC Persian

Three months after Israel’s 12-day war in Iran, this was the most significant and prominent platform Pezeshkian had, to offer a path out of mounting economic pressure and the threat of further military action.

He linked the aftermath of the 12-day conflict in Iran—the killings of Iranian commanders and civilians—to Israel’s two-year war in Gaza, perhaps hoping that growing international discontent with Israel’s actions in Gaza would highlight that "bullying and aggression" are not confined to that territory alone.

The reality for Iran is unlikely to change by reiterating old and tried talking points on the international stage, and will require a new approach in Iran’s foreign policy.

Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian raises the Israeli strike on senior Hamas leader's in Qatar's capital, Doha, earlier this month.

He says Iran condemns Israel's aggression there.

He adds that "security is not built through force" but "confidence building, mutual respect, regional convergence and multilateralism".

Image source, Reuters

Masoud Pezeshkian now says Iran has "not sought and will never seek" to build a nuclear bomb.

"We do not seek nuclear weapons," he emphasises in front of the UN General Assembly, following an edict of the country's supreme leader Ayatollah Khamenei.

Image source, Reuters

President Pezeshkian continues to criticise the actions of Israel.

He says what Israel does is nothing but "aggression rooted in coercion and bullying".

Outlining his vision, Pezeshkian calls for a "radiant future" where Iran stands strong, alongside powerful neighbours, against "a grand project that imposes genocide" on the region.

Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian has turned to Israeli attacks on Iran in June, which led to a 12-day war between the two countries.

"My country was subject to a savage aggression," he says, adding that Israel's attacks "constituted a grave betrayal of diplomacy".

He says the "brazen act of aggression" was responsible for "martyring" children and scientists.