Zelensky says God saved Trump from assassination as UN echoes Trump's Ukraine shift

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky told the United Nations General Assembly in New York on Friday that God saved former President Donald Trump from an assassination attempt and that Trump had signaled a dramatic shift in his stance toward Russia's invasion of Ukraine. Zelensky said Trump spoke in the General Assembly hall and credited divine protection after a rifle shot was fired at him during a campaign event in Pennsylvania last July.

Zelensky described Trump’s remarks as a major reversal on the war, noting that Trump declared Ukraine is positioned to retake all of its lost territory and more. The Ukrainian leader contrasted that with Trump’s earlier alignment with Russian President Vladimir Putin on a potential peace plan in which Ukraine would cede land. In a Truth Social post on Tuesday, Trump wrote that Ukraine, with the support of the European Union, is in a position to fight and win all of Ukraine back in its original form. “With time, patience, and the financial support of Europe and, in particular, NATO, the original borders from where this War started, is very much an option,” he added.

Zelensky appeared at the General Assembly with Ukraine's First Lady Olena Zelenska listening nearby, delivering remarks that followed Trump’s own participation in the UN gathering. The turn in sentiment comes just over a month after Trump publicly aligned with Putin on a peace framework that could require Ukraine to concede territory as part of a broader settlement. The Ukrainian president’s remarks at the podium referenced the evolving dynamics surrounding U.S. policy toward the war and the broader transatlantic alliance.

Separately, a domestic court case in the United States has spotlighted political violence amid the election cycle. Ryan Routh, 59, was found guilty in Florida of attempted assassination of a major presidential candidate, along with felony firearm charges and related offenses tied to the September 2024 plot against Trump. He faces a maximum life sentence when sentenced on December 18. In a moment captured after the verdict was read, Routh began stabbing himself in the neck with a pen. His daughter, Sarah Ellen Routh, and his son Adam were present in the courtroom as jurors delivered the verdict. Authorities had pursued him for months after Secret Service agents spotted him in bushes outside one of Trump’s golf courses during the candidate’s campaign tour, with a gun and a camera recovered at the scene outside the course.

Trump issued a statement praising Attorney General Pam Bondi and her department after the conviction. Bondi said the verdict demonstrates the Department of Justice’s commitment to punishing those who engage in political violence. “The trial was meticulously handled, and I would like to thank the Judge and Jury for their time, professionalism, and patience,” Bondi wrote in a post on X. The case underscores the personal and political stakes surrounding U.S. politics as international attention remains on the war in Ukraine and the responses of Western allies.

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