Zelenskyy urges UN to choke Russia’s war revenues

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy told the United Nations General Assembly on Wednesday that the world must continue to strangle Russia's war funding, declaring that "Russia's revenues must remain a target" as the conflict grinds past the four-and-a-half-year mark.apnews

"When someone gives Russia more money through trade, they give this war more time," Zelenskyy said in English from the General Assembly podium in New York. "Limit his money. Limit his war."apnews

The address came hours after Russian drones struck the Ukrainian capital, Kyiv, in daylight attacks, killing two people and wounding 23, according to AP. A separate strike ignited a large fire at a shopping mall in the southern city of Zaporizhzhia, injuring two others. Zelenskyy told the assembly that Russia has used 63,000 attack drones of different types against Ukraine so far this year alone.apnews

Dueling Messages at the UN

While Zelenskyy spoke to the General Assembly, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov — representing President Vladimir Putin, who has not attended the gathering in years — told the U.N. Security Council that Moscow is prepared to negotiate toward a lasting peace but would not agree to merely "pause" the fighting, arguing that any halt would allow Ukraine and its backers to rearm.apnews

Zelenskyy cast doubt on Russia's sincerity. "Can you even imagine him without war?" he said of Putin. "He is 'Patient Zero,' the one from whom war keeps spreading further. … 'Patient Zero' must be stopped."apnews

Diplomacy on the Sidelines

The speech followed a Tuesday meeting between Zelenskyy and U.S. President Donald Trump on the sidelines of the assembly. Trump reiterated his belief that "we're going to make a deal" to end the war, a goal he pledged during the 2024 campaign but has not yet achieved. Zelenskyy told reporters he was hopeful but noted that Ukraine had not yet received clear answers on its request for additional U.S. Patriot air defense systems.apnews

In separate comments to reporters, Zelenskyy said Kyiv remains ready for a bilateral "energy ceasefire" — halting strikes on Russian energy facilities if Moscow stops targeting Ukraine's energy infrastructure — though he stressed there had been no discussion with Trump of Ukraine unilaterally ending attacks on the Russian oil industry.aljazeera

A Defiant Message

With front lines in eastern and southern Ukraine largely unchanged since last year and both sides intensifying long-range drone and missile attacks, Zelenskyy framed Ukraine's fight as a matter of survival. "Ukrainians did not choose this war," he said. "We choose not to die. … We are defending ourselves."apnews