Image source, Rex/Shutterstock

Joe Biden finishes his address by speaking about the need for countries around the world to uphold human rights.

"The future will be won by those countries who unleash the full potential of populations," he tells the UN General Assembly.

He acknowledges that "the challenges we face today are great indeed" but tells world leaders and delegates:

With that, Biden receives a round of applause and he walks off stage.

President Biden urges all nations to recommit to strengthening the nuclear non-proliferation regime through diplomacy.

"No matter what else is happening in the world, the United States is ready to pursue critical arms control measures," he says.

He says today has brought "disturbing" trends as "Russia shunned the non-proliferation ideals embraced by every other nation".

He reiterates that Russia is making irresponsible threats to use nuclear weapons.

In his televised address this morning announcing the mobilisation of Russian conscripts, Vladimir Putin issued a thinly veiled threat that he could use nuclear weapons in the conflict.

"When the territorial integrity of our country is threatened, we will certainly use all the means at our disposal to protect Russia and our people. It's not a bluff," he said.

Turning to the turmoil in energy markets caused by the invasion, Biden says that the US is working with other countries around the world to protect nations "from coercion or domination, and ensure that no country can use energy as a weapon".

European nations have accused Russia of using gas supplies as a weapon in retaliation for EU sanctions.

Biden says he rejects the use of violence and war to conquer nations and "expand borders through bloodshed".

He adds that the sovereign rights of smaller nations are equal to those of larger ones.

Biden says the US wants this war to end on "just terms" - "on terms we all signed up for - that you cannot seize a nation's territory by choice".

"The only country standing in the way of that is Russia," he says.

He says members of the UN must be "clear, firm and unwavering in our resolve".

Image source, Reuters

Continuing his speech, Biden says Russia's war is about extinguishing Ukraine's right to "exist as state, as a people".

"Just before he invaded, Putin asserted, and I quote, 'Ukraine was created by Russia' and never had - quote - 'real statehood'.

"And now we see attacks on schools, railway stations, hospitals... even more horrifying evidence of Russia's war crimes."

The US president also references the mass grave recently uncovered in Izyum, which he said "showed signs of torture".

He says Russia's war is about extinguishing Ukraine's right to exist as a state - "plain and simple", before telling those at the UN General Assembly:

He adds that the US has personally marshalled "massive levels of security assistance, humanitarian aid and direct economic support" to Ukraine.

Moving on to the subject of the war in Ukraine, the US president says that "in the last year our world has experienced great upheaval" and a "brutal needless war chosen by one man".

He says a permanent member of the UN Security Council, Russia, invaded its neighbour and "shamelessly violated" the core tenets of the United Nations charter.

Biden says Vladimir Putin has attempted to "erase a sovereign state from the map" and calls Russia's plan to organise "sham" referendums in parts of Ukraine it currently controls an "extremely significant violation of the UN charter".

Biden says Putin has made nuclear threats against Europe, is calling up more soldiers to fight and trying to annex parts of Ukraine.

Image source, Reuters

He starts by listing some of the challenges facing countries around the world - including food insecurity, conflict and natural disasters.

Laurence Peter
BBC News Europe analyst

Image source, EPA

By “partial mobilisation” Russia means it will call up some 300,000 military reservists. But Vladimir Putin’s decree does not set an upper limit – that figure was given by Defence Minister Sergei Shoigu.

• They want to draft in specialists with military experience – including many reserve officers, some of them in their 60s
• They insist that conscripts will not be sent. Most Russian men have to do military service – usually lasting a year – but many get exemptions on medical grounds, or as students
• The Kremlin appears anxious to avoid a public backlash, such as happened when many conscripts died in the Afghanistan war in the 1980s, and later in Chechnya
• This move follows Ukraine’s big gains in the northern Kharkiv region – the Russian military has been hit hard by skilful Ukrainian tactics and Western precision weapons
• Putin again raised the nuclear spectre, reminding Nato that Russia has nuclear missiles that could be used if its territory were threatened with disintegration
• Russia may claim that it is being attacked by Nato directly, if Russian-controlled areas of Ukraine are declared to be part of Russia after Kremlin-staged “referendums” - plans for which were announced on Tuesday
• Some senior Western politicians have downplayed the risk of nuclear war, saying Putin is using bluster to cover up panic over Russia’s battlefield losses

Read more on the significance of Putin’s move here.

Hugo Bachega
Ukraine correspondent in Kyiv

Putin’s announcement won’t come as a surprise in Ukraine, and will be seen as a response to Russia’s setbacks on the battlefield.

First, Russian-appointed officials in occupied areas, probably in a choreographed move, announced plans for so-called referendums on joining Russia.

The votes are all but certain to go in Moscow’s favour, and could lead to an escalation in the nearly seven-month war. The Kremlin could argue that attacks on those areas are then attacks on Russian soil.

Now, the Kremlin has announced a partial military mobilisation, a veiled admission that it needs more men on the ground.

Mykhailo Podolyak, a senior adviser to President Zelensky, tweeted: “Everything is still according to the plan, right?”

The latest developments are likely to fuel Ukraine’s growing calls for Western partners to send more weapons – and quickly.

That’s expected to be one of President Zelensky’s key messages in his address to the United Nations General Assembly via video link later today.

Image source, Getty Images

As we've been reporting, US President Joe Biden is due to speak shortly at the UN General Assembly in New York. Later this evening, Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelensky and UK Prime Minister Liz Truss are also due to speak.

Biden is set to announce $2.9bn in additional US funding to address global food insecurity, the White House has said.

Russia's invasion of Ukraine has accelerated manufacturing costs, like energy and fertiliser, increasing the cost of food.

Both Russia and Ukraine are major suppliers of fertiliser, while Ukraine - known as the "breadbasket of Europe" - produces significant amounts of wheat, corn and sunflower oil.

But the conflict is disrupting the supply of these goods, driving up prices on international markets.

The announcement builds on $6.9bn for US food security announced earlier this year.

Olga Ivshina
BBC Russian Service

Earlier today, the Russian Ministry of Defence said 5,937 Russian soldiers and officers had been killed in Ukraine since the start of the full-scale invasion. Previously, it gave a figure of 1,351 killed at the end of March.

Both are well below the BBC’s own estimates, based on open sources - information from the Russian state and independent media, reports from cemeteries across Russia and social media posts which we’ve been gathering over the past months as part of an investigative project, external.

As of today, we have a list of 6,646 names of the Russian military killed in action. In many cases we also managed to establish the units they served in and where they are from.

We do not believe our list is exhaustive, and estimate that the real figure could be at least twice or even more of what we managed to gather, i.e. around 12,000-15,000 people.

Ukraine to dominate Biden's UN addresspublished at 15:23 British Summer Time 21 September 2022

15:23 BST 21 September 2022

Sarah Smith
North America Editor

Vladimir Putin is threatening nuclear war as the world faces multiple other crises, from poverty and hunger to the climate emergency.

US President Joe Biden has just 15 minutes to address them all during his address to the UN shortly.

Ukraine will obviously dominate his speech. It is the issue that will dominate the whole week.

Biden will try to galvanise allies to step up their military aid to Ukraine as he condemns Russia’s aggression.

Expect to hear a promise of several billion dollars for food security.

And Biden will say that he has delivered on promises to tackle climate change with recent legislation.

America once again leads the world is the underlying message. The global challenges are daunting.

Putin again raises fears of nuclear weapons – but how likely are they to be used?published at 15:16 British Summer Time 21 September 2022

15:16 BST 21 September 2022

Gordon Corera
Security correspondent, BBC News

Vladimir Putin raises nuclear weapons when on the back foot – like after the initial failure to overthrow the Ukrainian government and now when his military has retreated.

His hope is that a reminder of their devastating potential will intimidate and deter his opponents.

The Russian population will also have been alarmed by events and Putin’s claim that Nato is threatening Russia. So his words are also a way of reassuring domestic opinion that the country can defend itself.

Russian military doctrine says nuclear weapons will only be used if the Russian state itself is threatened and Putin framed his warning by saying he was responding to Western threats. His reference to this not being a ‘bluff’ referred to a situation when Russia’s territory was threatened. An important question is how far he sees that territory extending after the upcoming referenda in Ukraine.

All of this suggests the use of nuclear weapons is far from imminent. The possibility can never be entirely dismissed, especially if Putin feels the security of the state is threatened, but Western intelligence will watch closely Russia’s actual behaviour rather than Putin’s rhetoric.

Image source, EPA

In the last few minutes, Nato Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg has told Reuters news agency he hopes the war between Ukraine and Russia will "end at the negotiating table".

But he insists this can only happen if Kyiv gets an acceptable outcome in whatever deal may be reached.

Speaking after Vladimir Putin called for Russia's first mobilisation since World War Two, Stoltenberg says the speech suggests the Russian leader underestimated his invasion of Ukraine. Putin "made a big miscalculation," he added.

Stoltenberg, who is also in New York for the UN General Assembly, says Nato allies present will continue to provide "unprecedented support to Ukraine" during the war.

Image source, PA Media

Downing Street says President Putin's partial mobilisation of Russia's military reservists is a "clear admission" his invasion of Ukraine is failing.

No 10 condemned Moscow's "reprehensible actions" and said the UK would continue to help Ukraine defend its sovereignty.

UK Prime Minister Liz Truss will address the United Nations General Assembly in New York tomorrow.

Downing Street said she would warn her fellow world leaders against any complacency when it came to defending their values and preserving a world order that rewards freedom.

She earlier sat down on the sidelines of the assembly with her Ukrainian counterpart, Denys Shmyhal, to discuss the supply of weapons and preparations for winter.

Jessica Parker
Reporting from Brussels

Image source, EPA

The EU has accused President Putin of a “very dangerous nuclear gamble” – following his comments this morning.

Taken alongside military activities around the Zaporizhzhia plant, the European Commission said Putin is “using the nuclear element as part of his arsenal of terror".

Foreign affairs spokesman, Peter Stano, said announcements on military mobilisation and referenda showed Putin was “not interested in peace".

But that it was also a sign of “desperation” about how the war has played out in Ukraine.

Asked about the possibility of further EU sanctions, Stano said that Moscow’s actions would “result in consequences”.

However, the commission refused to provide further details saying that discussions among member states were “confidential".

On when further EU funding may come for weapons for Ukraine, Stano said that the bloc was prepared to continue its support.

And that an announcement, on a sixth tranche of funding, would come once member states agree.

Frank Gardner
BBC News, Security Correspondent

Dr Robert Seely, MP for Isle of Wight and a specialist on Russian warfare, warns that the West should assume Putin’s threat to use nuclear weapons in his war in Ukraine is real. Senior UK ministers and officials have previously dismissed such a threat as bluster.

"At some point", says Seely, "probably as Russian troops face major collapse in south-east Ukraine over the next six to nine months, Putin will either use or come close to using tactical nuclear weapons".

Seely, who holds a PhD in Russian warfare, says Putin’s actions are those of a leader facing conventional defeat on the battlefield.

"Mobilisation of Russia’s reserves, the threat of nuclear weapons, and the annexation of territory are all actions designed to shore up a collapsing war effort."

He believes Putin’s aim right now is to frighten the West into stopping supplying Ukraine with the weapons it needs to defend itself.

"If Putin can break that link, he can still win," says Seely. "Hence in part, the nuclear threat."

Image source, EPA

German Chancellor Olaf Scholz has condemned Russian President Vladimir Putin's order to partially mobilise 300,000 reservists in order to support Russia's war in Ukraine.

Speaking to reporters at the UN General Assembly in New York, Scholz said the latest decision is "an act of desperation".

Scholz also said Germany would not accept the "sham referendums" which are planned later this week in parts of Ukraine currently occupied by Russia.

Image source, EPA

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has said he did not believe the world would allow Russian President Vladimir Putin to use nuclear weapons.

In response to Putin's address earlier today, Zelensky warned against being cowed by Putin's threats, saying they would invite Russia to attempt to take more territory.

"I don't believe that he (Putin) will use these weapons. I don't think the world will allow him to use these weapons," he told the German newspaper Bild.

Zelensky added that the Russian president's announcement showed he wanted to drown Ukraine in blood -- including that of his own soldiers.