Zelenskyy urges UN to cut Russian trade as Moscow rejects truce and strikes Kyiv

Address to the General Assembly

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy addressed the United Nations General Assembly in New York on Wednesday, urging global leaders to eliminate trade with Moscow and restrict Russian energy revenues. Speaking seventeenth in the morning session, Zelenskyy stated that commercial engagement with Russia directly prolongs the military conflict. He noted that Ukrainian forces are countering Russian financing by launching long-range strikes against Russian oil and gas infrastructure, including Arctic gas condensate facilities located 3,000 kilometers from the border and an oil refinery in Moscow. Zelenskyy told the assembly that Russian forces lost 248,000 soldiers over eight months to capture a little more than 1,000 square kilometers of Ukrainian territory this year. He warned that Russian territorial ambitions extend beyond the Donetsk region to other Ukrainian cities and neighboring European countries.

“When someone gives Russia more money through trade, they give this war more time. And that is exactly why we insist on limiting trade with the aggressor, and why we are burning Russia's revenues ourselves.”

Foreign personnel and energy warnings

During his address, Zelenskyy accused Moscow of enlisting third-country fighters from 47 countries, naming Nepal, Ghana, and India alongside North Korean units. He confirmed that Ukrainian forces recently captured two North Korean prisoners of war and transferred them to South Korea. Zelenskyy also announced new bilateral drone agreements with Finland and Australia, noting that a similar agreement with Canada remains in preparation. Addressing the approaching winter, the Ukrainian president warned that continued Russian bombardments against electrical grids will trigger retaliation against Russian power and heating facilities. Ukraine and its partners are seeking limited agreements regarding energy infrastructure and Black Sea shipping before temperatures drop.

“Ukrainians understand that this winter could be very harsh for us. But in response, we will have no choice but to make it painful for Russia too.”

Russian stance at the Security Council

Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov addressed the UN Security Council on Wednesday before Zelenskyy's speech, rejecting proposals for an interim truce or pause in fighting. Lavrov stated that Western calls for a ceasefire aim solely to provide Kyiv time to rearm and fortify defensive lines. He blamed European governments for the conflict and said Moscow would not pause operations. The diplomatic exchange followed meetings between Donald Trump and Zelenskyy on Tuesday in New York, as well as prior visits to Moscow and Ukraine by US envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner. Lavrov is scheduled to deliver Russia's formal address to the General Assembly on Saturday.

“We are not going to have a pause in our special military operation.”

Missile and drone exchanges

While diplomatic sessions took place in New York, Russian forces sustained aerial attacks against Ukrainian population centers on Wednesday and early Thursday. Drone and ballistic missile strikes on Kyiv killed two people and injured 41, with emergency crews responding to fires across three districts, Kyiv Mayor Vitali Klitschko reported. In the eastern Donetsk region, four Russian aerial bombs struck the village of Oleksandrivka near Kramatorsk, killing five people and injuring six, regional governor Vadym Filashkin said. Zelenskyy stated that Russia has launched over 2,100 missiles, including more than 950 ballistic missiles, and continuous jet-powered Shahed drones against Ukrainian targets.