Only ‘friends and weapons’, no international laws, can protect against war and authoritarian ambitions, warned Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zenskyy on Wednesday during a speech to the General Assembly of the United Nations (UNGA).
The Ukrainian leader, who has argued with the international community to do more to combat Russian President Vladimir Putin in the midst of his more than three and a half years, warned that Ukraine might be the first European nation to carry the insult from Moscow to international order, but it will not be the last.
“Putin will continue to drive the war wider and deeper. And we have told you earlier, Ukraine is only the first. And now Russian drones are already flying through Europe,” said Zenskyy. “Russian activities are already spreading over countries and Putin wants to continue this war by expanding it.
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President of Ukraine VolodyMyr Zenskyy speaks during the General Meeting of the United Nations (UNGA) at the United Nations head office on 24 September 2025 in New York City. (Michael M. Santiago/Getty images)
“Nobody can feel safe now,” he added.
A general tone of dissatisfaction about the effectiveness of the rules -based system has repeatedly sustained during the UNGA, since world leaders have a growing contempt for international law and human rights convicted in the midst of rising safety threats and geopolitical conflicts.
Zenskyy again argued that it is cheaper to stop Putin now to try to catch up with a weapon race, to build underground bunkers across cities and to protect each port and every ship against terrorists with marinals. “
“Stopping Russia is now cheaper than wondering who will be the first to create a simple drone that is wearing a nuclear core head,” he said.
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Firefighters work on the site of a burning building after a Russian attack in Kiev, Ukraine, early Thursday, August 28, 2025. (AP Photo/Ephrem Lukatsky)
But it was not just the failure of the international community to stop Putin that Zenskyy approached.
He pointed to the Israeli hostages who are still being held in Gaza and the horrible conditions that Palestinians live.
“There is just no other way about it [that] Nations can talk about the pain from phases like this, “said Zenskyy.” But even during bloodshed there is no international institution that can really stop. That is how weak these settings have become.
“What can Sudan or Somalia or Palestine or other people who live by war really expect from the UN or the global system? Only explanations,” he said.
President of Ukraine VolodyMyr Zenskyy speaks during the General Meeting of the United Nations (UNGA) at the United Nations head office on 24 September 2025 in New York City. (Spencer Platt/Getty images)
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“In the end, peace of us all depends on the United Nations,” said Zenskyy. “So don’t remain silent while Russia keeps dragging this war. Please take it out and condemn it.
“Participate in defending life and international law and order,” he added. “People are waiting for action.”
