The President of Ukraine, Volodymyr Zelensky, gave a speech this Tuesday afternoon (19) in the general debate of the United Nations General Assembly in which he again made strong statements against Russia.
Zelensky accused Vladimir Putin’s country of currently using essential items for global markets such as food and energy as weapons “not just against Ukraine, but against all countries”.
“Since the start of the full-scale war, Ukrainian ports have been blockaded by Russia,” he said. “Our ports on the Danube River continue to be targeted by missiles and drones,” he added.
Still in his speech, the Ukrainian president strongly condemned Russia’s possession of nuclear weapons. He emphasized that in the 20th century, the international community learned the importance of avoiding the use of weapons of mass destruction and promoting complete nuclear disarmament.
Zelensky stressed that Russia “does not have the right to possess nuclear weapons” and that this issue affects not only Ukraine, “but all countries”.
He also denounced that Ukrainian children continue to be taken to Russia against their will and cited the international court’s arrest warrant against Putin.
“We know the names of thousands of children and we have evidence of thousands of other people abducted by Russia in the occupied territories of Ukraine,” Zelensky said.
“The International Criminal Court has issued arrest warrants for these crimes, and we are trying to bring the children home. However, time is passing. What will happen to them?” asked the president.
Zelenskiy said that children being taken against their will to Russia are being taught to hate Ukraine and that “all ties with their families are being severed.”
He classified this process as a “genocide”.
Zelensky reiterated the need to contain the war in his country and called for an end to the Russian invasion, which, according to him, has already “resulted in significant loss of life”.
The Ukrainian president also announced that he would reveal more information about his peace plan for the region, which will be “centered on preserving national sovereignty and territorial integrity” during a special session of the Security Council scheduled for this Wednesday (20).
He also stated that he would invite all world leaders who oppose “any form of aggression to a peace summit” that could take place later this year, although he did not specify the date or location of that meeting.
After the speech, Zelensky received a standing ovation for about 30 seconds from world leaders present.
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