Putin is the ‘patient zero’ of the war. Zelensky’s speech at the United Nations

Thank you very much.

Ladies and gentlemen, this morning, whilst I was on my way to New York, somewhere in the sky above the vast and beautiful Atlantic Ocean, I read President Trump’s post on Truth Social.

The president wrote that Russia has lost control of its diesel industry as a result of the war against Ukraine. And it is hard to imagine a more humiliating loss for a country that holds a permanent seat on the United Nations Security Council and takes such pride in its oil exports.

I quote: “A large number of their diesel refineries have been blown up and, at least temporarily, put out of action.”

That’s right.

This protracted conflict in Ukraine must come to an end. No world leader is known to publicly advocate otherwise. Open support for the war appears to be nonexistent.

Except for one man.

And this year alone, from January to August – in just eight months – the Russian army has lost 248,964 personnel on the battlefield in Ukraine.

Deaths and serious injuries. Twenty-one centuries in human history have had populations smaller than this figure.

We have video evidence of each of these deaths. And they are not just statistics. These are people.

Here we have just over a thousand square kilometres of our territory. And we have already liberated a significant part of it. Russia is a country that already possesses 17 million square kilometres of territory – without any Ukrainian territory, incidentally. And to add another thousand square kilometres, Putin is paying the price of 248 lives for every square kilometre. Is there still anyone who thinks he is a reasonable and moderate man?

His counterpart, the leader of North Korea, has sent his troops to Russia to bolster the Russian army’s weak points. The North Koreans have also suffered casualties. Heavy casualties. You have probably seen the footage broadcast from Pyongyang when they paid tribute to those who were killed.

This assessment is also considered irrational. Why would South Koreans risk their lives in a conflict against Ukraine?

Kim Jong-un uses them as a form of currency and gets something in return. And North Korea’s neighbours and countries across Asia have probably already noticed the improvements in its ballistic missiles and the much more advanced capabilities of its drones.

And so a war that was not prevented in time, that was not stopped in time and for which Russia was not punished in time continues to spread, bringing evil in its wake.

We recently sent two North Korean prisoners of war to the Republic of Korea. It is not easy to capture these young men alive. One of them, when he realised he was about to be taken prisoner, tried to take his own life and said he was distraught that fate had not allowed him to die.

This is how people are brought up in the North. This is the reality. Their freedom is taken away, their right to choose is taken away, and the idea is drummed into them that they must die, come what may.

Do we really want to give a force of that calibre more time to learn how to wage war?

It is known that Putin recently promised representatives of the U.S. president once again that he would conquer our neighbouring region, saying that he only needs a few more months.

This is probably the seventeenth or eighteenth time in five years that he has made this promise.

Then he moves the deadline. And moves it again.

Odessa and Kharkiv, Dnipro and other cities. Someone in the Kremlin has even posted an image bearing the caption ‘To be conquered’. Russia has designs on our neighbour Moldova. It constantly threatens Poland and the Baltic states.

Russia shows no respect whatsoever for the sovereignty of the countries of the South Caucasus and Central Asia. Sadly, people in Syria and across Africa also know only too well what Russian killers are like.

Something always prevents him from admitting that 17 million – 17 million square kilometres of his own territory, internationally recognised by all of you – should be enough for this man.

Killing other people for every square kilometre of territory, conquering other lands, attacking another country instead of stopping and governing one’s own country. After all this, can you really imagine it without war?

The more freedom Putin has to act, the more dangerous the world becomes for everyone else. That is why ‘patient zero’ must be stopped. We must deny him the scope to act and the scope to spread this evil any further.

Ladies and gentlemen, last year, speaking here, I said that we live in an age in which weapons decide who survives. And I said that, if a nation wants peace, it must work to acquire powerful weapons.

Ukraine is doing exactly that. And that is why, for the first time in Russia’s history, we are hearing that its reserves and its oil industry are running out of fuel.

But oil itself is not Ukraine’s objective; it is not our objective. Neither are petrol or diesel, nor are the factories or ports as such.

Our target is Russia’s ability to fund this war, to prolong it, and to make it more brutal and more destructive. It is Russia’s finances and its production that must be halted if we are to stop Putin.

Our brave soldiers and our armed forces are working towards this, and this alone. The world’s support for Ukraine is helping us to achieve this. I am grateful to everyone, to every country that stands by our side, that stands with Ukraine and helps our people.

Sanctions, support packages, our joint arms production: all of this matters. Of course it matters. All of this makes us stronger.

When someone gives Russia more money through trade, they are prolonging this war.

When Russia has money, it consistently refuses diplomacy. This, too, constitutes a de facto veto on peace, rather than an official right.

And when someone somewhere in the world weakens sanctions – weakens sanctions against Russian oligarchs – it may make life more comfortable for wealthy Russians, but it also gives the war more time. More time for Putin to send poor people into the line of fire.

Therefore, Russia’s revenue must remain a target.

Russia’s budget deficit is now larger than in any other year, and most Russian regions are already bankrupt.

Russia had planned a major offensive on the front this summer. All of them failed.

The Russian campaign involving cruise missiles and rockets did not go as Putin had planned. They did cause damage, but they did not break us. We have built up our defences.

Since the start of this year, Russia has already fired more than 2,100 missiles of various types at Ukraine, its people and its children. More than 950 of these were ballistic missiles.

In the first eight months of this year, Russia deployed 63,000 attack drones of various types against Ukraine. More than 7,700 of these were jet-powered drones. These are truly destructive and very dangerous weapons.

Please consider it.

Every hour. Every hour.

Against our cities, our economy, our infrastructure. Our fighter jets are battling them 24 hours a day, seven days a week.

This forms part of Russia’s strategy: to create an aerial threat every hour, to make life harder for the economy, to disrupt people’s lives and to prevent children from being able to study or simply go to school.

Would your country survive if, God forbid, it were to face something like this?

Ukraine has done so.

That is why we are ramping up production and, of course, we will also be putting in place systems to protect against these threats.

We have also launched a missile defence programme, Freya, in collaboration with our partners. Ten countries are already part of it: Ukraine, Norway, Sweden, Denmark, Germany, France, Italy, the United Kingdom, Spain and the Netherlands.

Last week I called on Poland to join us. We are also in consultation with a couple of other allied governments that wish to participate in Freya.

We remain open to any country that can help build defences against ballistic missiles.

Our Freya programme does not replace tried-and-tested, effective systems such as, for example, the Patriot systems or the upgraded THAAD anti-ballistic systems.

We aim to develop a system that can be produced on a much larger scale and at a lower cost, a system that can become an integral part of the defence of Ukraine and Europe.

And may it help any nation that loves freedom.

The global waiting list for anti-ballistic systems is very long. Ballistic threats are becoming increasingly numerous, and the industrial capacity of those who choose war is enormous.

We must therefore produce a sufficient number of protection systems so that every person sitting in this room can say: my people are truly protected.

This is our approach to security.

Today, even the world’s richest countries are unable to source a sufficient number of missile interceptors. Current production is simply not enough. And even those who have spent years building up stocks of interceptors have already used up a significant proportion of them.

Unfortunately, this is the reality, even in the Gulf, where countries are genuinely working to build robust anti-ballistic systems – an anti-ballistic defence.

We therefore need a new programme; we need freedom. Join us in these collective efforts.

And yes, at times it may seem as though Ukraine is focused solely on the war because we talk about weapons, defence and sanctions against the aggressor.

But the Ukrainians did not choose this war.

We have chosen not to die,

so that we do not lose our country, our families, our independence and our freedom.

And we’re fighting back.

This matter does not concern us alone, I am sure. Most of you, like Ukraine before this war, are peaceful nations.

Avoid thinking about the war every second.

This does not mean that you are weak, and those who might wish to harm you should not make this mistake.

Most of you do not possess nuclear weapons, are not in the habit of attacking your neighbours, and may not have the money to fund years of war.

However, this does not imply that individuals are unable to remain safe, deter potential threats, ensure that anyone contemplating harm thinks twice, and protect both themselves and their communities.

We also feature the ‘drone deals’ format.

It is not simply a matter of selling drones, of course. It is about collaborating with other countries to build a modern, integrated defence system against drone threats, whether in the air, at sea or on land.

And it’s not just about protecting the sky.

Drones help us monitor our borders. This is important. Mountainous areas and, of course, the roads. Without them, it would simply be impossible.

It is also a matter of protecting infrastructure – critical infrastructure – ensuring resilience, and organising resources and defence forces so that critical infrastructure and transport can continue to function even under the most difficult conditions.

This is also part of the terms we propose.

These are ready-made security templates that we adapt to each country and region.

We are already working with partners in the Gulf, the South Caucasus and across Europe through drone deals.

Today I signed a drone deal – an important agreement on drones – with Finland, and it is significant.

Today I also signed a security agreement with Australia, and drones form part of that too.

And we are drawing up agreements on drones with Canada and other countries.

When Russia started this war, it could never have imagined that one day Ukrainian long-range drones would reach its factories – its military factories – in Siberia and on the Yamal Peninsula, thousands of kilometres from our borders.

Thousands.

No Russian admiral expected that we would be able to sink the flagship vessels of which Russia was so proud – vessels that were supposed to dominate the seas but which failed to survive our naval drones.

Alongside various types of drones, the country also produces a wide range of conventional weapons quickly, at a lower cost than many other countries, and tested in modern warfare.

Peace through protection.

Ladies and gentlemen, do think about it.

No Russian official could ever have imagined that General Winter, who for centuries had fought on Russia’s side, would one day switch sides and support those defending themselves against Russia.

We will ensure this happens this winter, if Russia continues to target our energy system and our heating supply.

Ukrainians realise that this winter could be very harsh for them. However, in response, they will have no choice but to make it painful for Russia as well.

And that is precisely why we assert that these collective measures are important; they are necessary before winter sets in.

We now need diplomacy and we need strength. And, step by step, we are filling the gaps in both areas.

Yesterday we met the President of the United States, and this is exactly what we discussed.

Unfortunately, we have not had the opportunity to speak directly with the Chinese leader, who is currently in America, but not here.

He is someone who can influence Russia more than many others can, and we would like him to want peace as much as we do here in Ukraine.

We believe the world has the power to make this happen.

We are certain that the world needs this.

This concerns energy, critical infrastructure, food security and the lives of a great many people in many countries.

It is ultimately a matter of slowing down the rapid development of lethal weapons, a process that has continued throughout this war and has already become a global threat.

We need to slow this down before moving on to the next stage, because as early as next year there is a real possibility that artificial intelligence – and not just people – will begin to decide what happens on the battlefield.

And we need peace before we reach that point.

However, the longer Putin is able to wage war, the more damage he will leave in his wake in this world.

Today, nothing in war works in the same way as it did, for example, in 2022, except for people’s courage.

Everything has changed, and it remains uncertain whether courage will continue to function in the same way in the future.

According to leading advocates of artificial intelligence development, AI remains largely digital today, but will eventually transition from the digital realm to shaping the physical world.

And when that happens, we’d better be at peace.

We must certainly put an end to the wars that are already taking place.

Ukraine is seeking security, just like all of you. Every country and every nation.

And one more thing.

For weeks now, Europeans have been warning that Russia might go further.

Entering Europe, even NATO territory.

Leaders have access to intelligence information revealing Russia’s intentions.

And now I want to address not Europe, but those countries whose citizens Russia might seek to exploit in yet another utterly brutal campaign.

We did not only have North Korean prisoners of war.

We know that Russia is using citizens from 47 countries in its war.

And this war involves people from Ghana, Nepal, Tajikistan, India, Yemen, Kenya, Zimbabwe, Cuba, Belarus, Sudan, South Africa and many, many other countries.

Occasionally, we receive requests to send certain prisoners of war home.

And through the footage from our drones, we can also see people dying on the battlefield who are not Russian – people from your own countries.

47 countries whose citizens have ended up in Russia through deception and trickery.

I therefore wish to address each representative of these 47 countries directly.

Do you know what Russia is doing to your people, to your citizens?

Please handle this with care and do not allow it to appear elsewhere.

Do not let Putin drag you into this war.

Do not allow Russia to put out its own fires, cover up its own shame and pay for its own folly with the lives of your citizens.

Limit its scope.

Limit his funds.

Limit his war.

And please, all of you here, do not be the last to join those who defend life.

Be the first to say: we have ensured security.

Thank you to everyone who is helping, and thank you to everyone who stands by us, alongside our people, our children and Ukraine.