Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy used his speech at the UN General Assembly to call for continued pressure on Russia, arguing that Moscow’s revenues should remain a target and that continued trade with Russia helps prolong the war.
Zelenskyy accused the Russian army of recruiting fighters from 47 countries in its war against his country, saying people from countries including Ghana, Nepal and India, were fighting in the conflict.
“Putin is always looking for someone who can help him kill more, kill more people for every kilometre of land, take more territory and take another country instead of simply stopping and running his own country,” Zelenskyy said.
He also highlighted Russia’s military relationship with North Korea, saying two North Korean soldiers captured while fighting against Ukraine had recently been sent to South Korea.
Russia, for its part, said it remained open to negotiations but would not accept a simple pause in the war. Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov told the UN Security Council on Wednesday that such a ceasefire without a broader settlement would only allow Ukraine and its allies to rearm.
Zelenskyy questioned Russia’s willingness to end the war, portraying Vladimir Putin as a leader who continues to expand the conflict rather than seek peace.
He also warned that Ukrainians should expect another difficult winter and suggested Russia could face further Ukrainian attacks on its heating and energy infrastructure in response to Moscow’s strikes on Ukraine.
“Ukrainians understand that this winter could be very harsh for us, but in response we will have no choice but to make it painful for Russia too,” he said.
Attack drones a major point of his address
Zelenskyy accused Russia of having used 63,000 attack drones of different types against Ukraine this year alone.
At the same time, he promoted Ukraine’s growing role in drone technology, saying Kyiv had signed a significant drone deal with Finland, a security agreement involving drones with Australia, and was preparing a further agreement with Canada.
The war has continued to produce large-scale drone and missile attacks on both sides. Russian strikes hit Kyiv and Zaporizhzhia on Wednesday, while Russia said its air defences had intercepted more than 500 Ukrainian drones.
Before his address, Zelenskyy posted on X about Russian drone strikes on the Ukrainian capital, Kyiv.
“As of now, two people have been reported killed and another 24 wounded. My condolences to their families and loved ones. There were also strikes on cities and communities in eight regions,” he wrote. The number of wounded was later revised upwards by local authorities to more than 40.
Zelenskyy met Donald Trump on the sidelines of the assembly where Trump again said he believed a deal could eventually be reached to end the war.
