United Nations — Talking in English to the 193-nation United Nations Common Meeting, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy delivered a pre-recorded message to a standing ovation, except for the Russian delegation and a handful of different international locations, within the Corridor full of world leaders and his personal spouse, first woman Olena Zelenska.
Zelenskyy was unable to journey to U.N. Headquarters in New York Metropolis due to the escalation in assaults by Russia. Simply hours earlier, Russian President Vladimir Putin introduced a big mobilization of Russian forces for the assaults towards Ukraine, and commenced preparations for a referendum to formalize its occupation of elements of Ukraine. The referendum is taken into account a sham by the U.S. and European Union.
Earlier this yr, the U.N. determined that a chief should be within the headquarters in an effort to communicate this yr. However, the Common Meeting voted 101-7 for an exception for Zelenskyy. The members that voted towards him talking had been Belarus, Cuba, North Korea, Eritrea, Nicaragua, Russia and Syria.
"It was a vote not solely in regards to the format. It was the vote about ideas," Zelenskyy stated in his Wednesday speech. "Seven who're afraid of the video handle. Seven who reply to ideas with a purple button. Solely seven. 100 and one – and 7."
The Ukrainian president went on to element the atrocities dedicated towards the nation's civilians and requested the U.N. to carry Russia accountable for the alleged crimes. He stated a household — a father, mom, a 6-year-old woman, a 8-year-old woman, and their grandparents — was killed in a Russian airstrike, and he pointed to the recently-discovered mass grave in Izyum.
Zelenskyy stated the U.N. ought to acknowledge Russia as "a state sponsor of terrorism."
"After the Russian missile terror. After the massacres. After Mariupol," he stated. "After the burning of Ukrainian prisoners in Olenivka by the Russian army. After blocking the ports. After the strikes of Russian tanks and missiles on nuclear energy crops. And after threats to make use of nuclear weapons, which have develop into the rule, not the exception, for Russian propagandists..."
Zelenskyy outlined a plan with 5 "preconditions" for peace with Russia: punishment for aggression; safety of life; restoration of safety and territorial integrity; safety ensures; and willpower to defend oneself. He additionally referred to as for the U.N. to create a particular tribunal "to punish Russia for the crime of aggression towards our state."
"This may develop into sign to all 'would-be' aggressors that they need to worth peace or be dropped at accountability by the world," he stated.
Citing the U.N. constitution, as President Biden did hours earlier, Zelenskyy requested for extra army and monetary assist.
"We didn't provoke this warfare," he stated. "We held 88 rounds of talks in numerous codecs to stop this warfare, simply from the start of my presidency till February 24 this yr."
However as an alternative of discovering a manner ahead, Russia, he stated, started a "full-scale" aggression.
"Russia desires warfare. It is true. However Russia won't be able to cease the course of historical past. Mankind and the worldwide legislation are stronger than one terrorist state," he stated. "Russia will probably be compelled to finish this warfare. The warfare it has began."