French President Emmanuel Macron found himself briefly stranded on the streets of Manhattan on Monday after police halted traffic to clear the way for US President Donald Trump’s motorcade. The unusual delay came shortly after Macron addressed the 80th United Nations General Assembly, where he formally announced France’s recognition of the State of Palestine.
A video widely shared on social media captures Macron and his team speaking with a police officer during the holdup. “I’m sorry, Mr. President, I’m so sorry. It’s just that everything is frozen right now. There is a motorcade coming,” the officer explained.
Macron took the interruption in stride. Pulling out his phone, he was seen calling Trump and joking: “Guess what, I’m waiting in the street because everything is frozen for you.”
Once Trump’s convoy passed, the streets reopened, and Macron continued his journey on foot toward the French Embassy. The walk lasted nearly half an hour, during which the French leader stopped to greet New Yorkers and pose for photos.
French President Macron phoned US President Trump after being stopped at a New York street blocked off for his US counterpart’s motorcade during the United Nations General Assembly pic.twitter.com/dIk13aIu7I
— Reuters (@Reuters) September 23, 2025
France Recognizes Palestine at UN Summit
Earlier that day, Macron delivered one of the most consequential announcements of his presidency: France’s official recognition of the State of Palestine. The declaration came during a high-level UN summit co-hosted by France and Saudi Arabia, highlighting growing global momentum for Palestinian statehood and the two-state solution.
Alongside France, leaders from Belgium, Luxembourg, Malta, Andorra, and Monaco also confirmed their recognition of Palestine.
The move, however, faced sharp opposition. Both Israel and the United States boycotted the meeting. US Secretary of State Marco Rubio dismissed the initiative as a “gift to Hamas” and barred Palestinian leaders from participating.
UN Secretary-General António Guterres countered by insisting that Palestinian statehood is not a privilege but a fundamental right.
Trump Shifts Stance on Ukraine
In a separate development, President Trump appeared to signal a dramatic shift in his position on the war in Ukraine. Speaking after his own UN address and a meeting with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky in New York, Trump suggested that Kyiv could reclaim all of its territory lost to Russia — and possibly more.
Posting on Truth Social, Trump declared that with Europe and NATO’s backing, Ukraine had the chance to restore “the original borders from where this war started.” He added cryptically that Kyiv might “maybe even go further than that,” without elaborating.
The statement marked a stark departure from Trump’s previous position. For months, he had argued that peace would likely require Ukraine to cede some land to Moscow — a proposal Zelensky firmly rejected.
“Putin and Russia are in BIG economic trouble, and this is the time for Ukraine to act,” Trump wrote, dismissing Russia as a “paper tiger.”
The remarks underscored one of Trump’s most significant policy shifts since the war began in 2022 and could reshape debates over how the conflict might ultimately be resolved.
