Statement
Statement summary
Volodymyr Zelenskyy, President of Ukraine, said that international law doesn’t work fully unless one has powerful friends who are willing to stand up for it. “And even that doesn't work without weapons,” he stressed. Nations can speak about their pain from stages, but during bloodshed, there is no single international institution that can truly stop it. “What can Sudan or Somalia or Palestine or any other people living through war really expect from the UN or the global system? For decades, just statements and statements,” he said. The Russian Federation's war against his country persists and people are dying every week. “Yet, there is no ceasefire because Russia refuses,” he noted.
Last year, he had warned about the risk of radiation disasters due to the Russian Federation’s occupation of the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant. “But, nothing's changed, and yesterday, the plant went into blackout again, and Russia hasn't stopped shelling even in areas near a nuclear facility,” he emphasized. “Because international institutions are too weak, this madness continues.” The Republic of Moldova is defending itself again from the Russian Federation's interference, but the global response is not enough. “We have already lost Georgia in Europe — human rights and the European nature of the State system are only shrinking there; Georgia is dependent on Russia,” he said, adding that Belarus is moving towards dependence on Moscow. “Europe cannot afford to lose [the Republic of] Moldova, too,” he warned.
“Now there are tens of thousands of people who know how to professionally kill using drones,” he stressed. “Stopping that kind of attack is harder than stopping any gun, knife or bomb — this is what Russia has brought with its war.” Now, even simple drones can fly thousands of kilometres. “Warfare doesn't care about geography anymore — it's now reshaping it,” he stated, recalling that airports in Europe recently shut down because of drones. “But, what happens when all the types of drones become available even to small terrorist groups or cartels?”, he asked. The world is now living through the most destructive arms race in human history.
To protect lives, Ukraine builds underground schools and hospitals, he said. “Stopping this war now — and with it the global arms race — is cheaper than building underground kindergartens or massive bunkers for critical infrastructure later,” he continued. “Stopping Russia now is cheaper than wondering who will be the first to create a simple drone carrying a nuclear warhead.” The aggressor must be stopped, as only then is there a real chance that this arms race will not end in catastrophe for all. “Don't stay silent while Russia keeps dragging this war on,” he concluded.
President Volodymyr Zelenskyy on Wednesday warned world leaders that international institutions are “too weak” to stop wars, urging more countries to join Ukraine’s security coalition and step up pressure on Russia.
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Read also the UN News story in Hindi, Kiswahili and Urdu about the declaration made by the President of Ukraine at the General Debate.
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“No one but ourselves can guarantee security,” he said. “Only strong alliances. Only strong partners. And only our own weapons.”
He argued that international law does not work without the backing of “powerful friends” and, ultimately, military backup.
Those with “weapons decide who survives,” he said, calling it a “terrible” but unavoidable reality.
“Ukrainians are peaceful people, but they are people who want to live freely in their own independent country. That’s why we invest in defence. For many nations, there is simply no other way left.”
Systems failing
He pointed to conflicts in Sudan, Somalia and Palestine as evidence of a global system unable to prevent bloodshed or deliver solutions.
“That’s how weak these institutions have become,” he said. “For decades, just statements and statements.”
Turning to Russia’s war in Ukraine, he warned of the use of chemical weapons and famine as weapons against his people, the abduction of thousands of Ukrainian children, and continued attacks around Europe’s largest nuclear power plant at Zaporizhzhia.
“Yesterday, the plant went into blackout again,” he said, raising the risk of spectre of disaster.
He also noted recent Russian drone and fighter jet incursions into Poland and Estonia, and interference in neighbouring Moldova.
“Europe cannot afford to lose Moldova,” he said, adding that supporting the country’s stability was “not costly, but failing to do so would come at a much higher price.”
AI-fuelled global arms race
President Zelenskyy warned that weak international responses were accelerating a global arms race, now reshaped by artificial intelligence.
“Dear leaders, we are now living through the most destructive arms race in human history because this time, it includes artificial intelligence,” he said. “We need global rules now for how AI can be used in weapons. And this is just as urgent as preventing the spread of nuclear weapons.”
He said Ukraine had developed attack drones and sea drones out of necessity, pushing back the Russian navy in the Black Sea and striking strategic bombers.
“None of this would have happened if [Russian President Vladimir] Putin had not started this full-scale aggression,” he said.
‘Act together to stop war’
The Ukrainian President urged nations to act collectively to end the war.
“Stopping this war now and within the global arms race is cheaper than building underground kindergartens or massive bunkers for critical infrastructure later,” he said.
“Stopping Russia now is cheaper than wondering who will be the first to create a simple drone carrying a nuclear warhead.”
He said more than 40 countries are already part of Ukraine’s coalition and called for broader support.
“So don’t stay silent while Russia keeps dragging this war on,” Mr. Zelenskyy concluded. “Please speak out and condemn it. Please join us in defending life and international law and order. People are waiting for action.”
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