Russian Occupants Must Return To Their Own Land, Zelensky Asserts At UN

On Tuesday, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky urged world leaders gathered at the United Nations General Assembly to stand united against Russia’s invasion, saying Moscow needed to be pushed back so the world could focus on tackling important global concerns.

Applause greeted Zelensky as he took his seat at the United Nations General Assembly lectern in New York, dressed in his distinctive olive green shirt for his first in-person appearance at the annual UNGA since Russia invaded his country in 2022.

Ukrainian President stated, “Ukraine is doing everything to ensure that after Russian aggression, no one in the world will dare to attack any nation”.

He went on to say, “Weaponization 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’ll do it”, Zelensky continued.

He accused Russia of manipulating global food prices in order to get international legitimacy for land it had seized from Kyiv. Zelenskiy said that by stealing Ukrainian children, Moscow was committing genocide.

In a reference to the Global South, whose backing he seeks in his confrontation with Russia, Zelenskiy mentioned the escalating climate issue and natural calamities, citing the recent earthquake in Morocco and floods in Libya.

“We have to stop it. We must act united to defeat the aggressor and focus all our capabilities and energy on addressing these challenges”, Zelensky added.

Earlier in the day, Ukrainian officials said nine people had been killed in Russian operations, including a drone strike that set industrial facilities on fire.

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