Emboldened by a counteroffensive that has recaptured swaths of Russian-held territory, Volodymyr Zelensky vowed in a video address Wednesday that his forces would not stop until they retook all of Ukraine. “We can return the Ukrainian flag to our entire territory. We can do it by force of arms,” the president said in a speech delivered in English. “But we need time.” Zelenskyy’s video speeches in an olive T-shirt have become almost commonplace. But this speech was one of the most anticipated at the war-ridden UN General Assembly. The conflict took center stage again on Thursday at a Security Council meeting, where the United States and its allies planned to step up criticism of Russia and pressure other countries to join their strong condemnation of the conflict. At a press conference ahead of the meeting, Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba said “no word of condemnation can stop the Russian army.” “What can stop them is the Ukrainian army, equipped with modern weapons from our partners,” he said. “The best way to stop (Russian President Vladimir) Putin is to arm Ukraine.” “And justice is one of those weapons,” French Foreign Minister Catherine Colonna interjected. The war featured speeches by leaders from around the world who decried the invasion mainly because they said it was inconsistent with fundamental principles of the United Nations — including respect for sovereignty. “It’s an attack on this very institution where we are today,” said President Maya Sandu of Moldova, whose country borders Ukraine. US President Joe Biden’s speech also focused heavily on the war in Ukraine. “This war is about eliminating Ukraine’s right to exist as a state, plain and simple, and Ukraine’s right to exist as a people. Whoever you are, wherever you live, whatever you believe, it should make your blood run cold,” he said. “If nations can pursue their imperial ambitions without consequence, then we jeopardize everything that this very institution stands for. Everything.” Russia has not yet had its turn to speak at the rally. Putin, who is not attending the General Assembly, said he sent his armed forces to Ukraine because of threats to his country’s security from what he sees as a hostile government in Kyiv. to free Russians living in Ukraine – especially its eastern Donbas region – from what it sees as oppression by the Ukrainian government. and to restore what it considers to be Russia’s historic territorial claims to the country. Zelensky’s speech was distinguished by its context. It was made after Moscow’s emergency mobilization announcement. It was Zelensky’s first time addressing the world leaders gathered since Russia invaded in February. And it was not delivered at the podium where other presidents, prime ministers and monarchs speak — but instead by video, since Zelensky received special permission not to come in person. Putin’s order on Wednesday for the mobilization was sparse on details. Officials said as many as 300,000 reservists could be enrolled. It was apparently an attempt to gain momentum after the Ukrainian counterattack. But the first such call in Russia since World War II also brought the battle home in a new way for Russians and risked fueling domestic anxiety and antipathy to the war. Shortly after Putin’s announcement, flights out of the country quickly filled up and more than 1,000 people were arrested in rare anti-war protests across the country. Zelensky did not discuss the developments in detail. However, he suggested that any Russian talk of negotiations was simply a delaying tactic and that Moscow’s actions speak louder than its words. “They talk about the talks but announce a military mobilization. They talk about the talks, but announce fake referendums in the occupied territories of Ukraine,” he said. Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, meanwhile, argued that the mobilization was a sign that he was “failing and failing” in Ukraine. Zelensky has argued that Moscow wants to spend the winter preparing its forces in Ukraine for a new offensive, or at least preparing fortifications while mobilizing more troops in Europe’s biggest military conflict since World War II “Russia wants war. Is true. But Russia will not be able to stop the course of history,” he said, declaring that “humanity and international law are stronger” than what he called a “terrorist state.”
Associated Press reporter Andrew Katell contributed from New York. For more AP coverage of the UN General Assembly, visit
