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Zelenskyy Urges Pressure on Russia 09/24 06:17
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy told world leaders Wednesday that
Vladimir Putin is the only obstacle to ending "the ridiculous and never-ending
war," and he urged nations large and small to pressure the Russian president
for peace by choking the country's revenues and impeding its war efforts.
UNITED NATIONS (AP) -- Ukrainian President
https://apnews.com/hub/volodymyr-zelenskyy told world leaders Wednesday that
Vladimir Putin is the only obstacle to ending "the ridiculous and never-ending
war," and he urged nations large and small to pressure the Russian president
for peace by choking the country's revenues and impeding its war efforts.
"Our target is Russia's ability to finance this war, to drag it out, to make
it more brutal and more destructive," Zelenskyy told the U.N. General
Assembly's annual gathering. "Russia's finances and Russia's production are
what must be stopped if Putin is to be stopped."
When Russia gets money from trade, "it always says no to diplomacy,"
Zelenskyy argued, "so Russia's revenues must remain a target."
Earlier Wednesday, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov clashed with
Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha and his country's European supporters
at a U.N. Security Council meeting, and Lavrov and U.S. Secretary of State
Marco Rubio met on the assembly sidelines and discussed the war.
Top US diplomat talks about potential for a ceasefire
Rubio later told reporters that Russia and Ukraine have expressed interest
in a limited ceasefire that would halt attacks on grain shipments -- both
countries are major exporters -- and on each country's energy sectors, which
have been targeted in escalating drone and missile attacks.
Rubio said reaching even a partial deal would be difficult but worthwhile,
noting that Zelenskyy has publicly endorsed such a plan. The United States
would be willing to help make it happen, Rubio said.
Russia's Foreign Ministry made no mention of a partial deal on grain
shipments in a statement after the Lavrov-Rubio meeting. The statement
reiterated that the root causes of what it calls its "special military
operation" must be addressed.
At the Security Council, Lavrov said Russia will not "pause" its military
action, claiming Europe would use it to "pump" Ukraine with weapons. He also
made no mention of any kind of grain and energy deal, called Ukraine's
government "terrorists," and said Moscow's military operation aims to ensure
Russia's security and the rights of Russian speakers.
Lavrov is due to address the General Assembly on Saturday.
Zelenskyy cast doubt on Russia's interest in ending the fighting. "Something
always seems to stop Putin from saying, 'That's it. Enough. Peace,'" Zelenskyy
said. "Can you even imagine him without war? He is 'patient zero', the one from
whom this idea of war keeps spreading further."
"The more freedom Putin has to act, the more dangerous the world becomes for
everyone else," the Ukrainian president warned.
The war has reverberated across the planet -- with global repercussions for
fuel, fertilizer and
https://apnews.com/article/russia-ukraine-war-putin-grain-turkey-syria-ac5c94599
0c2c53eeca37e642ab6c5a7 shipments -- and for geopolitics, widening divisions
between Russia and the West.
Russia invaded Ukraine in February 2022, expecting to take the capital,
Kyiv, in a week. But Ukraine rallied to defend its sovereignty, and the
conflict has dragged on, with front-line positions in eastern and southern
Ukraine largely unchanged since last year.
Western analysts estimate that over 500,000 Russian troops have been killed
and that Ukraine has recorded more than 500,000 military casualties, including
up to 140,000 deaths. Neither country discloses its own casualty totals.
Russia and Ukraine have intensified their long-range attacks with drones and
missiles, and Russian
https://apnews.com/article/russia-ukraine-war-kyiv-drones-missiles-5940a121268e7
5f682b9e8e9619132be Wednesday, killing two people and wounding 23; two others
were injured by a strike that started a big fire at a shopping mall in the
southern city of Zaporizhzhia.
Russia's Defense Ministry said it struck Ukrainian military-industrial and
energy facilities, logistics centers, and sea vessels overnight. The ministry
said its air defenses intercepted more than 500 Ukrainian drones over multiple
Russian regions and Crimea, as well as the Sea of Azov and the Black Sea.
Crimea is the peninsula that Russia seized by force and illegally annexed in
2014.
Zelenskyy says 'you can stand and survive'
Zelenskyy told the assembly that Russia has used 63,000 attack drones of
different types against Ukraine so far this year alone. While celebrating that
his own country "has proven that even against a much bigger enemy, you can
stand and survive," he implored world leaders to deny Putin money or foreign
fighters.
"Limit his money. Limit his war," the Ukrainian leader said.
Zelenskyy said Ukraine must boost its military and has already successfully
tested four new jet-powered interceptor drones against Iranian-designed
https://apnews.com/article/ukraine-zelenskyy-shahed-drones-iran-russia-war-4a5a6
e01f0377a20404ab29093e69f12 used by https://apnews.com/hub/russia-ukraine. He
also heralded drone and anti-ballistic missile agreements and programs with
various countries.
Zelenskyy worried, however, that
https://apnews.com/article/ai-artificial-intelligence-un-security-council-64519e
a66b38e2600026f4481ad7f211 "will begin to decide what happens on the
battlefield" with the development of autonomous killer weapons.
"We need peace before we reach that point," he said.
"Sometimes, it may seem that Ukraine is focused, focused, only on war
because we speak about weapons, we speak about defense and sanctions against
the aggressor. But Ukrainians did not choose this war," Zelenskyy said. "We
choose not to die. .... We are defending ourselves."
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