“Evil cannot be trusted”, said Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky during his address to the UN General Assembly, urging world leaders to join forces to halt Russian hostilities against Ukraine.
In a recent speech in New York, Mr Zelensky asserted that the world must prevent a nuclear-armed Moscow from “pushing the world to the final war”.
Furthermore, he charged Russia with transforming everything from food to energy into tools of warfare. The comprehensive assault by Russia has elicited widespread disapproval.
In an address that underscored the significant threat Russia presents globally, he contended that pressing universal issues like climate change can only be adequately tackled once Moscow has been restrained.
“While Russia is pushing the world to the final war, Ukraine is doing everything to ensure that after the Russian aggression no-one in the world will dare to attack any nation,” Mr Zelensky conveyed to the world leaders gathered at the annual General Assembly.
Moreover, he proclaimed that Russia fundamentally possessed “no right to hold nuclear weapons”.
“Weaponisation must be restrained, war crimes must be punished, deported people must come back home, and the occupier must return to their own land”.
“We must be united to make it, and we will do it!” Mr Zelensky asserted.
He further accused Moscow of perpetrating “genocide” by abducting Ukrainian children.
In March, the International Criminal Court (ICC) released an arrest warrant for Russian President Vladimir Putin concerning the supposed illegal transfer of Ukrainian children to Russia.
Moscow has consistently refuted Ukraine’s claims – however, numerous international specialists and groups indicate increasing proof of Russia’s involvement in war crimes in Ukraine.
The Ukrainian leader continued to caution against “shady deals” aimed at concluding the conflict – the most significant in Europe since the Second World War – under unjust conditions.
Nevertheless, his principal emphasis was to alert the international community that the ramifications of this conflict would resonate universally.
The objective of Russia, he noted, was to turn Ukraine into “a weapon against you, against the rules based international order”.
The formula for peace that he had been outlining for several months, he articulated, was not exclusively for Ukraine, but for the greater global populace.
Thus, his appeal was evident and targeted unequivocally at nations – a substantial number belonging to the so-dubbed “Global South”, encompassing countries like Brazil and India – which have hitherto remained neutral.
Several countries have even amplified their financial relations with the Russian government. Western nations have been actively engaging at the UN to cater to these nations’ broader apprehensions regarding developmental matters and environmental shifts.
Earlier in the day, the Ukrainian prime minister praised Joe Biden’s address, where the US president forewarned of severe consequences if Russian ‘s aggression remained unchecked.
“Russia believes that the world will grow weary and allow it to brutalise Ukraine without consequence. If we allow Ukraine to be carved up, is the independence of any nation secure”? Mr Biden queried.
