NEW YORK, Sept 23. 2025– In a significant diplomatic exchange on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA), U.S. President Donald Trump met with European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen on Tuesday, September 23, 2025. The meeting, marked by a formal setting with American flags as a backdrop, focused on critical global issues including Ukraine’s missing children, Russia’s fossil fuel revenues, NATO’s eastern defenses, and the Middle East conflict.
Von der Leyen expressed gratitude to Trump for his commitment to addressing the plight of Ukraine’s missing children, with both leaders pledging closer cooperation to facilitate their return. This effort gained urgency following the Council of Europe’s April 2023 classification of Russia’s forced child transfers as genocide, with over 19,000 children reportedly deported. International efforts have so far returned approximately 1,300 children to Ukraine.
A key agenda item was the push to cut Russia’s fossil fuel revenues, with von der Leyen highlighting Europe’s 19th sanctions package, announced on September 19, 2025. The package includes a ban on Russian liquefied natural gas (LNG) imports and targets oil traders and refineries in third countries, aligning with Trump’s recent calls for immediate energy cuts. Europe aims to fully phase out Russian fossil fuels by 2027.
The leaders also addressed Russia’s provocations, including airspace incursions, prompting Europe to accelerate defense enhancements along NATO’s eastern flank. New air defense systems and munitions plants, expected to be operational by 2026, are part of a broader strategy to bolster security from the Baltic to the Black Sea.
On the Middle East, both Trump and von der Leyen reaffirmed support for a Two-State solution, echoing a parallel UNGA conference hosted by France and Saudi Arabia, backed by nearly 150 member states. This comes as the U.S. navigates a shifted foreign policy landscape, following Trump’s executive orders on February 4, 2025, withdrawing from the United Nations Relief and Works Agency and the Human Rights Council.
The meeting underscores a complex transatlantic dynamic, with Trump’s assertive stance contrasting von der Leyen’s diplomatic tone, setting the stage for further negotiations in the weeks ahead. Stay tuned to xAI for the latest updates.