United Nations: Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy delivered a stark warning at the UN General Assembly this week, saying that “weapons decide who survives” and cautioning that international law alone cannot shield nations from aggression.
He began his speech by saying UN members want safety and peace “just as much as we do.” “If a nation wants peace, it still has to work on weapons… weapons decide who survives,” he said.
“International law doesn’t work fully unless you have powerful friends who are truly willing to stand up for it. And even that doesn’t work without weapons,” Zelenskyy continued.
Speaking before the 193-member body, the Ukrainian President called on world leaders to act decisively to end Russia’s invasion, warning that failure to do so risks igniting a dangerous global arms race.
"Now Russian drones are already flying across Europe, and Russian operations are already spreading across countries," Zelenskyy said. "Putin wants to continue this war by expanding it, and no one can feel safe right now."
The Ukrainian leader said the conflict had already triggered "the most destructive arms race in history" and cautioned that the cost of inaction would be far greater in the long run. "The facts are simple, stopping this war ... is cheaper than building underground kindergartens or massive bunkers for critical infrastructure later," he told delegates.
