Keep pressure on Russia: Zelenskiy

TALKS: Rubio said Kyiv and Moscow had expressed interest in a limited ceasefire that would halt attacks on grain shipments, but a Russian minister made no mention of it

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy on Wednesday told world leaders that Russian President Vladimir Putin is the only obstacle to ending “the ridiculous and never-ending war,” as he urged nations to pressure Putin for peace by choking the country’s revenues and impeding its war efforts.

“Our target is Russia’s ability to finance this war, to drag it out, to make it more brutal and more destructive,” Zelenskiy told the UN General Assembly’s annual gathering. “Russia’s finances and Russia’s production are what must be stopped if Putin is to be stopped.”

When Russia gets money from trade, “it always says no to diplomacy, so Russia’s revenues must remain a target,” he said.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy addresses the UN General Assembly in New York on Wednesday.

Photo: Bloomberg

Earlier on Wednesday, Russian Minister of Foreign Affairs Sergey Lavrov clashed with Ukrainian Minister of Foreign Affairs Andrii Sybiha and his country’s European supporters at a UN Security Council meeting. Lavrov and US Secretary of State Marco Rubio also met on the assembly sidelines and discussed the war.

Rubio later told reporters that Russia and Ukraine have expressed interest in a limited ceasefire that would halt attacks on grain shipments — both countries are major exporters — and on each country’s energy sectors, which have been targeted in escalating drone and missile attacks.

Reaching even a partial deal would be difficult but worthwhile, Rubio said, adding that Zelenskiy had publicly endorsed such a plan and the US would be willing to help make it happen.

Russia’s foreign ministry made no mention of a partial deal on grain shipments in a statement after the Lavrov-Rubio meeting. The statement reiterated that the root causes of what it calls its “special military operation” must be addressed.

At the Security Council, Lavrov said Russia would not “pause” its military action, claiming Europe would use it to “pump” Ukraine with weapons.

He also made no mention of any kind of grain and energy deal, called Ukraine’s government “terrorists” and said Moscow’s military operation aims to ensure Russia’s security and the rights of Russian speakers.

Zelenskiy cast doubt on Russia’s interest in ending the fighting.

“Something always seems to stop Putin from saying: ‘That’s it. Enough. Peace,’” Zelenskiy said. “Can you even imagine him without war? He is ‘patient zero,’ the one from whom this idea of war keeps spreading further.”

“The more freedom Putin has to act, the more dangerous the world becomes for everyone else,” he said.

Zelenskiy also said in his speech that Ukraine had transferred two North Korean prisoners of war to South Korea.

“Recently, we sent two North Korean prisoners of war to the Republic of Korea,” he said. “These guys are not easy to capture alive. One of them, when he realized he was going to be taken prisoner, tried to kill himself, and he was shocked that fate did not let him die.”

Zelenskiy did not provide more details about the return. Ukraine captured the two North Koreans in Russia’s Kursk region in January last year. They were the first North Korean soldiers to be apprehended alive since the country joined the Russia-Ukraine war in 2024.

South Korean Representative Yu Yong-weon yesterday told reporters that the two North Koreans had left Ukraine last weekend, transited through a third country and arrived in South Korea three to four days ago, Yonhap News Agency reported.

“While their exact location is unknown, I believe our intelligence agencies are protecting them,” Yu was quoted as saying.

Meanwhile, Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian delivered his speech at the General Assembly, displaying images of the late Iranian supreme leader Ali Khamenei and more than 150 schoolchildren killed in the opening days of the conflict.

He said his country had been the “victims of terrorism” by the US.

“We have only defended ourselves. We are not terrorists,” he said. “Our innocent people have been the targets of cowardly attacks and aggressions imposed upon our country.”

Turning toward the US, Pezeshkian added: “Yes, they did hit us, but we did not bend the knee.”

Pezeshkian addressed world leaders a day after US President Donald Trump used the same stage to suggest that he might “annihilate” the Islamic republic if an agreement was not reached soon to end the nearly seven-month war.