Zelensky Seeks Pressure on Russia Amid Escalating Attacks

France 24 presents a replay of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky’s address to the United Nations General Assembly on September 23, 2026. The article’s brief introduction says Zelensky urged world leaders to continue restricting Russia’s revenue and to impede its ability to wage war. It highlights his statement that “Russia’s revenues must remain a target” and directs readers to watch the full speech in the accompanying video, which is listed as 26 minutes and 1 second long. The page does not provide a transcript or further detail about the speech, its proposals, or the responses of other delegates. Accordingly, the available article supports only a concise account of its central point: Zelensky called for continued economic pressure on Russia as part of efforts to constrain its war efforts. The remaining text in the supplied page consists chiefly of navigation and playback notices, sharing and keyword labels, unrelated recommended headlines, and an error message. Those elements do not add substantive information about the address.

At the United Nations General Assembly on September 23, 2026, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky accused Russian President Vladimir Putin of drawing fighters from 47 countries into Russia’s war against Ukraine. Zelensky named North Korea, Ghana, Nepal and India, and said two North Korean soldiers captured in the conflict had been sent to South Korea. He portrayed Putin as seeking more territory and human lives rather than ending the war. Zelensky also described Ukraine’s growing cooperation with allies on drone technology. He said Kyiv was working on drone agreements with partners in the Gulf, the South Caucasus and Europe, and had signed deals with Finland and Australia, with drones included in the security agreement with Australia. A further drone deal with Canada was in preparation. The Ukrainian president warned that Ukraine might target Russian heating and energy facilities during the coming winter if Russia continued attacks on Ukraine’s energy infrastructure. He acknowledged that winter could be harsh for Ukrainians, but said Russia would also face consequences. The article notes that Moscow has attacked Ukrainian civilian heating and fuel infrastructure during the conflict. Zelensky made the warning hours after US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said Washington was pressing Russia and Ukraine to stop attacks on each other’s energy infrastructure. Zelensky said Ukraine did not aim to destroy Russia’s gasoline and diesel supplies, but sought to cut revenues that help fund Moscow’s war. He argued that continued trade with Russia prolongs the conflict, and called for limiting trade with the aggressor. The article reports his remarks and warnings without independently verifying the figures or claims he made.

Russian drone attacks on Kyiv killed two people and wounded 23 on Wednesday, setting fires and damaging buildings as President Volodymyr Zelensky was in New York preparing to address the United Nations General Assembly. The strikes were part of a series of near-daily attacks that have caused ongoing harm to Ukrainian civilians. In southeastern Ukraine, a strike on a shopping mall in Zaporizhzhia wounded two men and sparked a fire that spread across about 6,000 square meters before emergency services brought it under control. Zelensky’s visit to the UN was part of an effort to secure and expand international support for Ukraine’s prolonged defense against Russia’s invasion. He was scheduled to address the General Assembly and meet European leaders and NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte. On Tuesday, he met with US President Donald Trump, who has expressed impatience over the lack of progress toward ending the war and the escalation of aerial attacks. Zelensky said he had proposals related to possible de-escalation. Meanwhile, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said there were no concrete plans for additional US-brokered talks between Russian and Ukrainian delegations. Russian President Vladimir Putin was not scheduled to attend the UN gathering. Poland’s military also reported that a Russian military helicopter briefly entered Polish airspace near the border with Russia’s Kaliningrad region, describing the incident as potentially another test of its air-defense readiness. Ukraine has retaliated by damaging Russian oil refineries. Kyiv’s urgent concerns include stopping attacks on its power grid, maintaining Black Sea grain exports, and obtaining more US-made Patriot air-defense systems, which are in short supply following the start of the war in Iran. Russia’s Defense Ministry said its forces struck Ukrainian military-industrial and energy facilities, logistics centers, and vessels overnight. It also claimed Russian air defenses intercepted more than 500 Ukrainian drones across several regions, Crimea, and waters of the Sea of Azov and Black Sea.