Addressing the United Nations General Assembly, Zelensky urged efforts to end the war and said Russian President Vladimir Putin was the main driver of the conflict. He claimed that Russian forces had been attempting for nearly five years to capture parts of eastern Ukraine, particularly Donetsk, while suffering heavy casualties for limited territorial gains.
According to Zelensky, around 249,000 Russian soldiers were killed or seriously wounded during the first eight months of this year, although Russian military operations have continued.
The Ukrainian president warned that the conflict was expanding beyond Ukraine, citing North Korea’s military involvement alongside Russia as an example. He said North Korean forces had suffered heavy losses while Pyongyang was receiving military benefits, including missile and drone technology, in return for its cooperation.
Zelensky argued that failing to stop the war and hold Russia accountable would allow the conflict to spread further. He claimed that Russia was also becoming a threat to Moldova, Poland and the Baltic states, while the sovereignty of countries in the South Caucasus and Central Asia was also being undermined.
He said the greater freedom Putin was given to continue military actions, the greater the risks would become for other countries.
Zelensky called for additional sanctions against Russia, restrictions on trade with Moscow and continued international support for Ukraine through defensive assistance and joint weapons production. He argued that countries continuing to provide Russia with money through trade were contributing to the continuation of the war.
He said Russia had launched thousands of missiles and tens of thousands of attack drones against Ukraine since the beginning of the year, including ballistic missiles and jet-powered Shahed drones.
Zelensky said Ukraine was increasing production of interceptor drones to counter these attacks and was working with European partners under the “FREYA” anti-ballistic initiative to develop new air defence capabilities.
He also described Ukraine’s rapidly developing defence industry as a potential security resource for other countries and referred to international agreements involving drone technology and integrated defence systems.
Speaking about the Ukrainian population affected by the war, Zelensky said the country’s struggle was fundamentally about survival and freedom. He said Ukrainians had not chosen the war but had chosen to defend themselves rather than lose their country, families, freedom and sovereignty.
Looking ahead, he warned that rapid advances in military technology and artificial intelligence could make future wars even more dangerous. He urged the international community to take action to end existing conflicts before the world enters a new era of technology-driven warfare.
Concluding his address, Zelensky referred to Putin as “patient number one” and called for measures to restrict his room for action and limit the financial resources available for continuing the war.
The 81st session of the United Nations General Assembly is being held from September 22 to 26.