Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has urged more nations to join his country’s security coalition and increase pressure on Russia, insisting that Ukraine has no choice but to fight to protect its sovereignty.
Delivering his statement to the 80th UN General Assembly in New York on Wednesday, Zelenskyy said international institutions had become too weak to stop wars, stressing that only strong alliances, partners, and weapons could guarantee security.
“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,” he said.
The president accused Russia of weaponising famine and chemical threats, abducting thousands of Ukrainian children, and endangering Europe’s largest nuclear plant at Zaporizhzhia, which recently suffered another blackout. He also cited Russian incursions into Poland and Estonia and interference in Moldova, warning that Europe “cannot afford to lose Moldova.”
Zelenskyy further cautioned that weak international responses were fuelling a global arms race, now reshaped by artificial intelligence. He called for urgent global rules on AI in warfare, saying the risks were as grave as nuclear proliferation.
“Stopping this war now is cheaper than wondering who will be the first to create a simple drone carrying a nuclear warhead,” he warned.
More than 40 countries have already joined Ukraine’s coalition, but Zelenskyy appealed for broader support. “Don’t stay silent while Russia drags this war on. Please join us in defending life and international law,” he said.
