Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, who has become the conscience of the free world, used an epoch-defining speech to the UN General Assembly on Sept. 24 to condemn member states for their failure to stop Russia’s invasion of his country. At the same time, he warned that the war started by Moscow is the leading edge of what is becoming a more dangerous world for all—a world dominated by great power aggression and AI-driven drone warfare that will leave no one safe.

Here is his speech, edited for length:

Dear leaders!

Dear friends and all those who can become our friends—because you want safety and peace just as much as we do.

Today, no one but ourselves can guarantee security. Only strong alliances. Only strong partners. And only our own weapons. No Ukrainian chose this kind of reality. And knowing our people, they would have chosen a different priority. Ukrainians are peaceful people. But they are people who want to live—to live freely, in their own independent country. That’s why we invest in defence. For many nations, there is simply no other way left.

Nations can speak about their pain from stages like this, but even during bloodshed, there isn’t a single international institution that can truly stop it. That’s how weak these institutions have become.

And as Russia’s war against my country goes on, people are still dying every week. Yet there is no ceasefire—because Russia refuses.

Last year at this assembly, I warned the world about the risk of radiation disasters—especially due to Russia’s occupation of our Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant, the biggest in Europe. But nothing’s changed. Nothing. And yesterday, the plant went into blackout again. And Russia hasn’t stopped shelling—even in areas near a nuclear facility. And because international institutions are too weak, this madness continues.

We must not forget about protecting the rights of people—and the rights of nations—in regions where these rights are under threat. The UN Charter and the Universal Declaration of Human Rights must apply everywhere. But the Taliban in Afghanistan dragged a whole country back into the dark ages. Cartels in some Latin American countries are more powerful than the governments there. This is all about the collapse of international law and the weakness of the international institutions. And so it’s about the rise of weapons. Weapons decide who survives.

Now, there are tens of thousands of people who know how to professionally kill using drones. Stopping that kind of attack is harder than stopping any gun, knife, or bomb. This is what Russia has brought with its war.

Dear leaders! We are now living through the most destructive arms race in human history—because this time, it includes artificial intelligence. And if there are no real security guarantees—except friends and weapons—and if the world can’t respond even to old threats, and if there’s no strong platform for international security, will there be any place left on Earth that’s still safe for people?

We need global rules—now—for how AI can be used in weapons. And this is just as urgent as preventing the spread of nuclear weapons. We need to restore international co-operation—real, working co-operation—for peace and for security. A few years from now might already be too late. And none of this would have happened if [Russian President Vladimir] Putin had not started this full-scale aggression, full-scale war. And every year that this war goes on, weapons become even more deadly. And only Russia deserves to be blamed for this.

Dear leaders! The facts are simple: stopping this war now—and with it, the global arms race—is cheaper than building underground kindergartens or massive bunkers for critical infrastructure later. Stopping Putin now is cheaper than trying to protect every port and every ship from terrorists with sea drones. Stopping Russia now is cheaper than wondering who will be the first to create a simple drone carrying a nuclear warhead.

So we must use everything we have—together—to force the aggressor to stop. And only then do we have a real chance that this arms race won’t end in catastrophe for all of us. If it takes weapons to do it, if it takes pressure on Russia—then it must be done. And it must be done now. Otherwise, Putin will keep driving the war forward—wider and deeper.

And we told you before: Ukraine is only the first. And now, Russian drones are already flying across Europe. And Russian operations are already spreading across countries. Putin wants to continue this war by expanding it. And no one can feel safe right now.

So it depends on you—whether you help peace or continue trading with Russia and helping Russia to fund this war. It depends on you—whether prisoners of war will be freed, whether abducted children will come home, whether hostages will be free. It depends on you what will define existence: war, like now, or our joint strong actions, as it should be.

But in the end, peace depends on all of us—on the United Nations. So don’t stay silent while Russia keeps dragging this war on; please, speak out and condemn it. Please join us in defending life, and international law and order. People are waiting for action. Thank you so much!

Glory to Ukraine!

Les Whittington is a regular columnist for The Hill Times.

The Hill Times

 

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