From the speech by Ukrainian president Zelensky during the General Debate of the UN General Assembly in New York
24 September 2025
"Dear leaders!
Dear friends and all those who can become our friends – because you want safety and peace just as much as we do.
Today, no one but ourselves can guarantee security. Only strong alliances. Only strong partners. And only our own weapons. The 21st century isn’t much different from the past. If a nation wants peace, it still has to work on weapons. It’s sick – but that’s the reality. Not international law, not cooperation – weapons decide who survives.
Excellencies!
You know perfectly well – international law doesn’t work fully unless you have powerful friends who are truly willing to stand up for it. And even that doesn’t work without weapons. It’s terrible, but without it, things would be even worse. There are no security guarantees except friends and weapons.
No Ukrainian chose this kind of reality. And knowing our people, they would have chosen a different priority. Ukrainians are peaceful people. But they are people who want to live – to live freely, in their own independent country. That’s why we invest in defense. For many nations, there is simply no other way left.
Nations can speak about their pain from stages like this, but even during bloodshed, there isn’t a single international institution that can truly stop it. That’s how weak these institutions have become... For decades, just statements and statements...
And as Russia’s war against my country goes on, people are still dying every week. Yet there is no ceasefire – because Russia refuses.
Russia abducted thousands of Ukrainian children. And we’ve brought some of them back. And I thank everyone who’s helped. But how long will it take to bring all of them home? Childhood slips away faster than adults are able to help...
Last year at this assembly, I warned the world about the risk of radiation disasters – especially due to Russia’s occupation of our Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant, the biggest in Europe. But nothing’s changed. Nothing. And yesterday, the plant went into blackout again. And Russia hasn’t stopped shelling – even in areas near a nuclear facility. And because international institutions are too weak, this madness continues.
Even being part of a long-standing military alliance doesn’t automatically mean you’re safe. Just recently, 19 simple Russian drones violated Polish airspace. And only 4 were shot down. Luckily, they weren’t “shaheds” or even worse. Otherwise, the results would’ve been horrific.
Estonia had to call a UN Security Council meeting – for the first time in history – because Russian fighter jets deliberately entered its airspace.
Moldova is defending itself – again – from Russia’s interference. We’re helping Moldova. And Russia’s trying to do to Moldova what Iran once did to Lebanon. And the global response? Again – not enough. We have already lost Georgia in Europe. Human rights and the European nature of the state system are only shrinking there. Georgia is dependent on Russia.
And for many, many years, Belarus has also been moving toward dependence on Russia. Europe cannot afford to lose Moldova too.
It’s important to remember how the world once ignored the need to help Georgia after Russia’s attack – and how the moment was missed with Belarus. Now Moldova must not be lost. And for Europe, supporting Moldova’s stability is not costly – but failing to do so would come at a much higher price. That’s why the EU needs to help Moldova now – with funding and energy support, not just words or political gestures...
This is all about collapse of international law and the weakness of the international institutions. And so it’s about the rise of weapons. Weapons decide who survives...
Dear leaders!
We are now living through the most destructive arms race in human history – because this time, it includes artificial intelligence. And if there are no real security guarantees – except friends and weapons, and if the world can’t respond even to old threats, and if there’s no strong platform for international security – will there be any place left on Earth that’s still safe for people?..
We need to restore international cooperation – real, working cooperation – for peace and for security. A few years from now might already be too late...
To protect lives, Ukraine builds underground schools and underground hospitals. To protect lives, we have to spend more on protecting power stations from drone and missile attacks than on building sports facilities or cultural infrastructure. Ukrainian farmers are learning how to protect their equipment from Russia’s FPV drone strikes, and for them, that challenge is far greater than climate change. Russia’s war has put us in this situation. But do you have protection against similar threats?
The facts are simple: stopping this war now – and with it, the global arms race – is cheaper than building underground kindergartens or massive bunkers for critical infrastructure later.
Stopping Putin now is cheaper than trying to protect every port and every ship from terrorists with sea drones.
Stopping Russia now is cheaper than wondering who will be the first to create a simple drone carrying a nuclear warhead.
So we must use everything we have – together – to force the aggressor to stop. And only then do we have a real chance that this arms race won’t end in catastrophe for all of us. If it takes weapons to do it, if it takes pressure on Russia – then it must be done. And it must be done now. Otherwise, Putin will keep driving the war forward – wider and deeper.
And we told you before – Ukraine is only the first. And now, Russian drones are already flying across Europe. And Russian operations are already spreading across countries. Putin wants to continue this war by expanding it. And no one can feel safe right now...
So it depends on you – whether you help peace or continue trading with Russia and helping Russia to fund this war. It depends on you – whether prisoners of war will be freed, whether abducted children will come home, whether hostages will be free. It depends on you – what will define existence: war – like now, or our joint strong actions – as it should be.
So don’t stay silent while Russia keeps dragging this war on – please, speak out and condemn it.
Please join us in defending life, and international law and order. People are waiting for action. Thank you so much!
Glory to Ukraine!"
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