President Volodymyr Zelensky cast doubt Wednesday on NATO’s ability to guarantee Ukraine’s security but praised Donald Trump after the US president unexpectedly flip-flopped to say he thinks Russia can be defeated.Addressing the United Nations, Zelensky suggested that even NATO membership — which Trump has ruled out for Ukraine — might not be enough.”Because international institutions are too weak, this madness continues. Even being part of the long-standing military alliance doesn’t automatically mean you are safe,” he told the UN General Assembly.But Zelensky praised Trump after their meeting Tuesday.”We had a good meeting with President Trump, and I also spoke with many other strong leaders, and together, we can change a lot,” he said. “Of course we are doing everything to make sure Europe truly helps and of course, we count on the United States.”Trump’s suggestion Tuesday that Kyiv could win, with support from the European Union and NATO, marked an extraordinary shift after months of saying Ukraine would not get back swaths of territory taken by Russia.Trump said Ukraine could regain all its land and suggested, without elaborating, that Kyiv could “maybe even go further than that!”The US leader’s comments marked the latest in a series of his policy switches on Ukraine, including a sudden pivot to peace talks with Russian President Vladimir Putin early this year that stunned allies.Washington’s top diplomat Marco Rubio met with his Russian opposite number Sergei Lavrov on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly in New York, although no details about their talks were immediately made available.- ‘Big fat missiles’ -Zelensky warned Wednesday that Europe could not afford to lose strategically located Moldova to Russian influence and let it follow Belarus and Georgia into Moscow’s orbit.”Russia’s trying to do to Moldova what Iran once did to Lebanon and the global response again, (is) not enough. We have already lost Georgia in Europe… and for many, many years, Belarus has also been moving toward dependence on Russia. Europe cannot afford to lose Moldova too,” he said at the UN General Assembly.Moldova, a former Soviet republic, goes to the polls on Sunday with pro-EU President Maia Sandu facing a barrage of deepfake videos and other disinformation linked to Russia.Zelensky also sounded the alarm over the development of autonomous drones and unmanned aerial vehicles capable of shooting down other drones and targeting critical infrastructure.”We are now living through the most destructive arms race in human history, because this time it includes artificial intelligence,” he said, adding that the only real security guarantees are “friends and weapons.””If the world can’t respond even to all threats, and if there is no strong platform for international security, will there be any peace left on earth?”The wartime leader, who has a packed itinerary of meetings with world leaders while in New York for the UN’s signature diplomatic week, stressed that Ukraine had been forced to ramp up its military production.”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 2,000, 3,000 kilometers.”We had no choice but to build them to protect our right to life.”

One person was killed and two were wounded in a shooting at a US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) facility in the US city of Dallas on Wednesday, officials said.The gunman, who opened fire on the ICE field office from the roof of an adjacent building, died of a self-inflicted gunshot wound, they said.FBI special agent Joe Rothrock told a press conference that the shooting was being investigated as an “act of targeted violence.””Early evidence that we’ve seen from rounds that were found near the suspected shooter contain messages that are anti-ICE in nature,” Rothrock said.ICE is the government agency chiefly responsible for carrying out President Donald Trump’s controversial campaign pledge to expel millions of undocumented migrants from the United States.FBI Director Kash Patel published a photo on X of five unspent bullets — one of which was marked with the words “ANTI-ICE” — and denounced what he called “despicable, politically motivated attacks against law enforcement.”Rothrock declined to confirm press reports that the three people who were shot were detainees but said “no members of law enforcement were hurt.”The ICE facility which came under attack processes detainees before they are transferred to a long-term detention center, according to US media reports.Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem and Vice President JD Vance condemned violence directed at ICE.”ICE law enforcement is facing unprecedented violence against them,” Noem said on X. “It must stop.””The obsessive attack on law enforcement, particularly ICE, must stop,” Vice President JD Vance said on the social media platform.After ICE immigration raids in Los Angeles spurred unrest and protests earlier this year, Trump dispatched the National Guard and US Marines to the California city.Another ICE facility in Texas was the target of an attack in July that left a police officer wounded in the neck.Ten people have been charged for their roles in the attack on the ICE center in the town of Alvarado.According to a criminal complaint, the assailants, dressed in black military-style clothing, shot fireworks at the ICE facility and spray-painted “Traitor” and “ICE Pig” on cars and a guard structure.The Alvarado incident came just days before a man armed with an assault rifle opened fire at a US Border Patrol facility in McAllen, Texas.The 27-year-old man fired dozens of rounds from an assault rifle at the entrance of the Border Patrol annex before being shot dead.Two police officers and a Border Patrol employee were injured.ICE’s role in the Trump crackdown has sparked widespread criticism over the organization’s use of heavily armed, masked agents to conduct raids in public places against suspected illegal migrants.

TV host Jimmy Kimmel defended free speech when he returned to US screens on Tuesday, calling government pressure on his late-night talk show “anti-American” as critics decried his suspension as an attack on constitutional rights.In his opening monologue, an emotional Kimmel praised the public outrage — which came from both left and right — over his suspension, as President Donald Trump once again threatened to sue ABC, the TV network that carries the show.”A government threat to silence a comedian the president doesn’t like is anti-American,” Kimmel said to wild applause.”Our government cannot be allowed to control what we do and do not say on television.”Kimmel, who frequently skewers Trump and his inner circle, raised the ire of conservatives last week when he said “the MAGA gang” was trying to exploit the college campus murder of right-wing activist Charlie Kirk.On Tuesday he struck a conciliatory note. “It was never my intention to make light of the murder of a young man,” he said, his voice cracking.Kimmel’s suspension last week was praised by Trump and the 79-year-old Republican swiftly attacked ABC for allowing the comedian’s return.”I think we’re going to test ABC out on this. Let’s see how we do. Last time I went after them, they gave me $16 Million Dollars. This one sounds even more lucrative,” he wrote on social media shortly before the show aired.It was not immediately clear what legal grounds Trump might think he has.Previous suits against media firms — including the one against ABC — were largely viewed as meritless, but settled seemingly as a way to appease the president.Chuck Schumer, the senior Democratic senator, called the row “a test of democracy” and said Trump “wants to be king.””Trump seems to have this penchant — anyone he doesn’t agree with, he wants to shut up,” he said Wednesday. “That’s a dagger to the heart of America.”Audience members who had watched the Hollywood taping told AFP that Kimmel had struck the right tone.”He spoke really eloquently and he gave like a lot of love to everyone who’s been hurt,” said Katie Persico, 34.”I felt like I was part of history a little bit for free speech.”- Boycott -The latest bust-up between the Trump administration and critics in the media unfolded last week when Federal Communications Commission (FCC) Chairman Brendan Carr appeared to threaten the licenses of ABC affiliates broadcasting the show unless they demanded Kimmel’s removal.Two companies that own dozens of those affiliates — Nexstar and Sinclair — then announced they would be removing the show from their schedules, prompting Disney to suspend the show nationwide.Sinclair — which last week demanded Kimmel apologize to Kirk’s family and make a donation to his right-wing activist group Turning Point USA — said Monday that its affiliates would still not be broadcasting the show when it resumed.On Tuesday, Nexstar followed suit.This meant the show remained off the air in several of the largest US television markets, including Washington DC, New Orleans, Nashville and Seattle.Kimmel’s abrupt disappearance from the airwaves sparked fury in liberal circles, with opponents saying he had been targeted because of his criticism of Trump.Opponents saw it as the latest step in creeping government control of free speech, a right enshrined in the country’s constitution.Some on the political right were also uneasy, including Trump allies such as Senator Ted Cruz and firebrand broadcaster Tucker Carlson.Trump often complains about negative coverage of him, going so far last week as to call it “illegal,” and has sued several media organizations.Disney, which owns ABC, faced backlash after suspending Kimmel. A rash of consumer cancellations followed along with a wave of reproach from creators and Hollywood insiders over what many saw as a spineless response to government bullying.By Monday, Disney had backtracked, saying the suspension had been an effort to “avoid further inflaming a tense situation” but adding it would bring back the show after “thoughtful conversations with Jimmy.”