Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy is set to address the U.N. General Assembly Wednesday, as he seeks both support for Ukraine in its fight against a Russian invasion and international pressure on Russia to stop the war.
Zelenskyy’s address before the annual meeting in New York comes a day after he told the U.N. Security Council that Russian President Vladimir Putin will not stop hostilities on his own and “can only be forced into peace.”
At the same meeting, U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken urged nations to support Ukraine, saying it is fighting for its survival.
“If countries stopped supporting Russia, Putin’s invasion would soon come to an end,” he said. “If countries stopped supporting Ukraine, Ukraine could soon come to an end.”
Russia’s envoy dismissed Blinken’s fears for Ukraine.
“It’s not threatened with anything. We are not fighting against it,” Ambassador Vassily Nebenzia said of Ukraine. “We are fighting against a criminal regime which seized power in Kyiv and is bringing its people towards catastrophe. And this is not a war for territory, regardless of the claims of our foes. This is a struggle for acknowledgment of people’s rights.”
The General Assembly meeting will also feature addresses by other leaders Wednesday, including French President Emmanuel Macron, Ghana’s President Nana Akufo-Addo, Spain’s Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez, Senegal’s President Bassirou Diomaye Faye, Ecuador’s President Daniel Noboa and Marshall Islands President Hilda Heine.
