Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky began his speech to the UN General Assembly by criticizing the international organization. However, the warnings in his speeches have had almost no effect before, he said. "Despite all the bloodshed, there is no international institution that can truly end the war. That is how weakened all these institutions are”.
"Weapons Determine Who Will Survive"
Zelensky's criticisms were reminiscent of what US President Donald Trump said in his speech the previous day. He accused the UN of achieving only "empty talk". Zelensky's speech after three and a half years of war in Ukraine focused mostly on one theme - the only guarantees of the country's security, on which its survival depends, are allies and weapons.
Kiev does not have enough long-range missiles and therefore has to rely on drones that can fly up to 3,000 kilometers, Zelensky recalled. However, Russia has more sophisticated drones and is producing more and more of them. ”The collapse of international law and the weakness of international organizations makes weapons increasingly important,” Volodymyr Zelensky said in New York. "Weapons determine who will survive".
Putin wants to expand his war, not stop it
Added to this is the danger posed by the use of artificial intelligence in weapons systems, Zelensky warned: "We are currently experiencing the most destructive arms race in the history of mankind." Zelensky accused Russian President Vladimir Putin of wanting to expand the drone war to Europe. Ukraine is only the first country that Russia has attacked, Zelensky believes.
Russian drones are already flying over Europe, the Ukrainian president recalled. "And Russian operations are already spreading to other countries. Putin wants to continue and expand the war", Zelensky warned. Europe has already lost Georgia and Belarus to Moscow. Now Europe must do everything possible not to lose Moldova, the Ukrainian head of state also said. The small European country is due to hold parliamentary elections later this week, which have been marked by unprecedented attempts at interference from Moscow.
A new rapprochement with Donald Trump
Zelensky once again thanked US President Donald Trump, with whom he met the previous day in New York. According to the Ukrainian head of state, the meeting was fruitful. However, no further details were provided.
Donald Trump himself wrote a comment on social media after his meeting with Zelensky, which many characterized as a reversal in his position regarding the war in Ukraine. The US president said that he now believes that Kiev can regain all the territories that Russia has occupied in the country. Zelensky did not make any further comments on this topic during his speech to the UN General Assembly.