By The New York Times (Europe) | Created at 2024-09-25 20:43:00 | Updated at 2024-09-30 05:19:38
4 days ago
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President Volodymyr Zelensky of Ukraine told the meeting of world leaders that capitulating to Russia would only give its president, Vladimir Putin, the “political space to continue the war.”
Sept. 25, 2024, 4:40 p.m. ET
President Volodymyr Zelensky of Ukraine urged the United Nations on Wednesday to prevent Russia from freezing the war as it is now, saying that the Kremlin “still wants even more land — more land, which is insane, and is seizing it day by day while wanting to destroy its neighbor.”
Those nations pushing to end the conflict were ignoring the wishes of the Ukrainian people, he said in an address to the General Assembly, and were encouraging President Vladimir V. Putin’s expansionary aims.
“It not only ignores the interests and the suffering the Ukrainians, who are affected by the war the most,” he said, “It not only ignores reality, but it also gives Putin the political space to continue the war.”
With Mr. Zelensky also using meetings at the United Nations and in Washington on Thursday to seek approval to strike deeper into Russia with Western missiles, Mr. Putin issued his own riposte.
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The Russian leader, who was not attending the U.N. meeting and often rattles the nuclear saber when he feels that Russia is facing setbacks in the war, suggested Wednesday that Russia should be able to respond with nuclear weapons if it were attacked by a state supported by a nuclear power. Ukraine falls into that category.
