France, Sept. 23 -- "The question put to us, in very simple terms, is whether we want to live in this state of nature, with a kind of return to the law of the jungle, or in a civilised international society," Macron told the assembly on Tuesday.

His appeal came at the opening of the UN's annual gathering in New York, where wars in the Middle East and Ukraine are dominating discussions alongside growing concerns over climate change and AI.

For Macron, those crises also exposed what he described as double standards that divided countries and undermined the international order.

"My message is to stand firm. Do not yield to the situation which is developing ... The rhetoric of defeat that is giving way to abuse of power by empires, threate...