NEW YORK — Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky received a standing ovation at the United Nations after urging world leaders to “punish” Russian President Vladimir Putin for the “crimes” against his country.
“A crime has been committed against Ukraine,” Zelensky told the General Assembly on Wednesday. “Ukraine demands punishment for trying to steal our territory.”
BIDEN TO RALLY UN AROUND FOUNDING PRINCIPLES AMID UKRAINE WAR
In his prerecorded video message, Zelensky outlined a five-point “peace” plan that includes Russian visa restrictions and energy price caps, as well as stripping the country of its U.N. Security Council veto power and designating it as a state sponsor of terror.
“Ukraine wants peace. Europe wants peace. The world wants peace. And we have seen who is the only one that wants war,” Zelensky said, adamant Ukraine can retake its “entire” territory with support and time.
Zelensky, who criticized countries that have remained neutral amid the war, warned of Russia weaponizing oil and gas and added, “None of you will find a vaccine against radiation sickness.”
Zelensky amplified his recent counteroffensive success but became emotional when discussing Izyum’s mass burial site, focusing on one father who was allegedly castrated by Russian soldiers before being killed.
“Ask, please, the representatives of Russia why the Russian military are so obsessed with castration,” he said. “What was done to them so that they want to do this to others?”
During a speech televised overnight on Russian state TV, Putin announced he was mobilizing approximately 300,000 army reservists with training and experience. Although avoiding a broader draft, the development is at odds with Putin’s downplaying of the Ukraine war as a “special military operation.” The move comes before Kremlin-backed officials in Ukraine’s Russia-controlled Donbas region, as well as Kherson in the south, hold “referenda” on whether to become part of the Russian Federation.
“To defend Russia and our people, we doubtlessly will use all weapons and resources at our disposal,” Putin said via translation. “This is not a bluff.”
Zelensky joined other world leaders in condemning Putin’s nuclear threat. President Joe Biden described it as “outrageous” during his General Assembly address. British Prime Minister Liz Truss and European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen issued a joint statement contending it is a sign Putin is “failing.”
“Tomorrow, Putin can say, ‘In addition to Ukraine, we also want a part of Poland. Otherwise, we will use nuclear weapons.’ We cannot agree on such compromises,” Zelensky told a German news outlet earlier Wednesday of Putin.
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Zelensky was granted permission to address the U.N. remotely given the war, though Russia, Belarus, Cuba, Eritrea, Nicaragua, North Korea, and Syria voted against the exception. His appearance came after he confirmed phone conversations with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and a Ukrainian delegation met with counterparts in-person in New York.
