US President Donald Trump vowed Thursday to stop Israel from annexing the West Bank as he presses to end the Gaza war, ahead of a high-stakes visit by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

Netanyahu will address the United Nations on Friday and later meet Trump in Washington as Israeli ministers muse of annexing the West Bank in response to recognition of a Palestinian state by France, Britain and several other Western powers.

UNITED NATIONS (Reuters) -Ukraine and Syria formally restored diplomatic relations on Wednesday as their leaders met on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly, President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said.

Ukraine broke off relations with Syria in June 2022 after ousted Syrian leader Bashar al-Assad's government recognised the independence of swathes of occupied Ukraine following Russia's full-scale invasion.

(Reuters) -Israel's prime minister's office said on Wednesday that negotiations were being held with Syria and the conclusions were contingent upon ensuring Israel's interests, which include the demilitarization of southwestern Syria and safeguarding the well-being and security of the Druze in Syria.

Under U.S. pressure, Syria is accelerating talks with Israel for a security pact that Damascus hopes will reverse Israel's recent seizures of its land but that would fall far short of a full peace treaty, sources briefed on the talks said.

MADRID (Reuters) -Spain's Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez said on Wednesday he will join Italy in sending a military warship to protect an international flotilla seeking to deliver aid to Gaza after it was attacked by drones off Greece.

Sanchez told a press conference in New York where he has been attending the UN General Assembly that the citizens of 45 countries were on board to deliver food to the population of Gaza and express solidarity with their suffering.

Syria's new leader warned Wednesday that Israel's persistent attacks put his country and the region at risk, on a landmark UN visit where the former jihadist sought to charm with his moderation.

Ahmed al-Sharaa is the first Syrian president in decades to address the UN's annual week of high-level diplomacy, marking a rapid reinvention for an erstwhile Al-Qaeda affiliate who until last year had a US bounty on his head.

Sharaa, sporting a neat-fitted Western suit and tie, said Syria had turned a page after a half-century of iron-fisted rule by the Assad family.

(Reuters) -The recent recognitions by some Western nations of a Palestinian state will not "bind Israel in any way," Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Wednesday.

"A Palestinian state will not arise," the prime minister's office posted on X.

Dozens of world leaders gathered at the United Nations on Monday to embrace a Palestinian state, a landmark diplomatic shift nearly two years into the Gaza war that faces fierce resistance from Israel and its close ally the United States.

NEW YORK (Reuters) -U.S. President Donald Trump has presented leaders from several Muslim-majority countries with a 21-point plan peace plan for the Middle East and Gaza, U.S. special envoy Steve Witkoff said on Wednesday, adding that he is confident of "some sort of breakthrough" in the coming days.

French President Emmanuel Macron and a US envoy said Wednesday that Iran still had a last chance to avoid deep UN sanctions if it addresses concerns on its nuclear program.

France, Britain and Germany have set the clock through the UN Security Council to reimpose sweeping sanctions at the end of Saturday on Iran, which they say has not cooperated on the long-running nuclear row.

Macron met Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly and urged him to reverse a series of steps taken by Tehran following an Israeli and US attack in June.

(Reuters) -Israel's prime minister told the family of Alon Ohel, a hostage still held in Gaza, that there was a combined military-diplomatic effort that was being continuously pursued to defeat Hamas and bring back all hostages, his office said in a statement on Wednesday.

Kobi Ohel, the hostages father, said in a statement that he and his wife expect Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu will return from his trip to the United States with "news that all the people of Israel are waiting for".

By Michelle Nichols

UNITED NATIONS (Reuters) -Iran and European powers remain at loggerheads as they try to strike a last-ditch deal to avert the return of U.N. sanctions before Saturday evening.

Britain, France and Germany launched a 30-day process on August 28 to reimpose U.N. sanctions on Iran over its nuclear program.

The trio, known as the E3, has taken the step over accusations Iran has failed to abide by a 2015 deal with world powers that aimed to prevent it from developing a nuclear weapon.

WHAT IS THE 2015 IRAN NUCLEAR DEAL?