President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelensky speaks at the U.N. General Assembly 78th session (Picture: UPI/Shutterstock)
Russia is ‘turning nuclear power plants in other countries into dirty bombs’, Volodymyr Zelensky warned world leaders at the United Nations assembly in New York.
The Ukrainian president drew a round of applause at the annual gathering, while pushing for support for his nation’s fight against Vladimir Putin’s bloodthirsty imperialistic ambitions.
In an impassionate speech, he said the Kremlin has turned food, energy and even children into weapons against his country, and told his allies that the same could happen to them.
He said nuclear-armed Russia must be stopped from ‘pushing the world to the final war’.
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‘When hatred is weaponized against one nation, it never stops there,’ Zelensky said.
‘The goal of the present war against Ukraine is to turn our land, our people, our lives, our resources into weapons against you – against the international rules-based order.”
‘Ukraine is doing everything to ensure that after Russia’s aggression, no one ever in the world will dare to attack any nation.
‘Weaponisation 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 will do it.’
He used his 15 minutes on stage to accuse Russia of holding the Zaporizhzhia power plant hostage to use as leverage against Europe.
Zelensky also said the invader is manipulating the global food markets to seek international recognition of ownership of land it seized from Ukraine.
His remarks were among the most scathing in a series of addresses by world leaders condemning Russia’s aggression.
Deputy U.N. Ambassador Dmitry Polyansky sat in Russia’s seat during Zelensky’s address.
‘Did he speak?’ Polyansky said with a wry smile when an Associated Press reporter asked about his reaction to the address.
‘I didn’t notice he was speaking. I was on my phone.’
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