Zelensky calls for greater European involvement in the war at the UN

WashingtonUkrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky used his speech at the United Nations General Assembly to send a message of pressure on Europe to become more involved in the war against Russia, along the lines of what Donald Trump did yesterday. Zelensky reminded the European Union that war is at their doorstep, citing the recent incursions by Russian aircraft into the airspace of Poland and Estonia. "Putin will continue to carry the war forward, further and deeper," the president said Wednesday. He also recalled: "There are no guarantees of security other than friends and weapons."

"We told you, Ukraine is just the beginning. And now Russian drones are already flying across Europe, and Russian operations are already expanding to other countries. Putin wants to continue this war by expanding it, and no one can feel safe," the Ukrainian said, seeking to mobilize Europeans. The 21st century is not so different from the past. If a nation wants peace, it must still use weapons. It's sickening, but it's the reality."

The day before Zelensky's speech at the UN, Trump displayed a sudden change of position and stated that he now believes Kiev can "recover" the occupied territories. by Russia since the start of the war. However, he placed the achievement of this milestone on the shoulders of European leaders. Trump indirectly disavowed this by saying that victory depended on European economic support, while pledging to continue selling arms to NATO, rather than sending military and economic aid packages as had been done during the Biden administration. The message's conclusion, with a "Good luck to everyone," was quite eloquent: Washington is growing tired of this conflict and will only remain involved in it to make money.

As if continuing Trump's message about European economic support, Zelensky recalled that "stopping Putin now is cheaper than trying to protect every port and every ship from terrorists with maritime drones. Stopping Russia now is cheaper than wondering which power will create a simple drone that can carry a nuclear leader." "Peace depends on all of us," he said, asserting that "stopping Putin now is cheaper than protecting the entire infrastructure later."

Zelensky defended the need to immediately halt Russian aggression to prevent a global escalation of violence. According to the president, Ukraine has had to develop drones and innovative tactics, including naval drone operations, to protect its population and trade routes. "We have had to build schools and hospitals underground, spend more on defending power plants than on cultural or sports facilities," he lamented. The Ukrainian leader called on the international community, including the G-7, the G-20, and the United Nations, to pressure Russia and cooperate in the production of defensive weapons.

Criticism of the United Nations

Zelensky has also aligned himself with Trump's criticism at the UN, albeit in a much more restrained tone, which was more of a call to action. As the leader of a country at war, he reproached the United Nations for its ineffectiveness: "Nations can speak about their pain from podiums like this, but even amidst the carnage, there is no sign that any international institution can stop it. That's how weak these institutions have become." The Ukrainian's words are ill-suited for debate in front of a Security Council where Russia has been responsible for vetoing resolutions on the war in Ukraine.

Disillusionment with multilateralism has led the Ukrainian leader to insistently repeat that "it is weapons that decide who survives." "This is all about the collapse of international law and the weakness of international institutions, and the growth of weapons. Weapons decide who survives." A position that also aligns with Trump's geopolitical vision, in which the new international order is governed by strong countries. "Peace through strength," as the president said after bombing Iran's nuclear facilities.

Precisely, Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian spoke at the General Assembly shortly after Zelensky did, and denied accusations that the country is trying to develop a nuclear bomb. "I declare once again before this assembly that Iran has never attempted and will never attempt to build a nuclear bomb. Let us not seek nuclear weapons," he said. He said this months after Washington attacked Iranian nuclear facilities and in light of the imminent reinstatement of Security Council sanctions against the country for its nuclear program.

On August 28, the United Kingdom, France, and Germany began a 30-day process to reinstate UN sanctions, accusing Tehran of violating a 2015 agreement with world powers aimed at preventing it from developing a nuclear weapon. Pezeshkian criticized the measure as "illegal" and criticized the European powers for making this decision "at the behest of the United States."

Responses to Trump

After the US president made a speech intended to undermine multilateralism and criticized the growing recognition of the Palestinian state, some leaders have responded. French President Emmanuel Macron said in an interview on French television that if Trump wants the Nobel Peace Prize—an award he once again demanded from the UN podium—he must end the genocide in Gaza.

"I see a committed American president, who reiterated this morning from the podium: 'I want peace. I have resolved seven conflicts.' The Nobel Peace Prize is only possible if this conflict is stopped," Macron said.

Colombian President Gustavo Petro went a step further and, in his speech at the Assembly, proposed creating "an army" to stop the genocide in Gaza with all those countries that oppose it. "Diplomacy has already finished its role in the case of Gaza. It has not been able to solve it," he lamented. Unwittingly, Petro's words reinforce the idea that multilateralism is reaching a dead end and also reinforce the idea that we are within a global system in which force is portrayed as the only alternative.

Chilean President Gabriel Boric responded to Trump's disdain at the UN: "The world needs true dialogue. Dialogue between different people, between those who have different worldviews. That is precisely what the United Nations was created for. To dialogue and decide that barbarism is not acceptable."