Dear leaders!
Dear friends and all those who can become our friends – because you want safety
and peace just as much as we do.
Today, no one but ourselves can guarantee security. Only strong alliances. Only
strong partners. And only our own weapons. The 21st century isn’t much different
from the past. If a nation wants peace, it still has to work on weapons. It’s
sick – but that’s the reality. Not international law, not cooperation – weapons
decide who survives.
Excellencies!
You know perfectly well – international law doesn’t work fully unless you have
powerful friends who are truly willing to stand up for it. And even that doesn’t
work without weapons. It’s terrible, but without it, things would be even worse.
There are no security guarantees except friends and weapons.
No Ukrainian chose this kind of reality. And knowing our people, they would have
chosen a different priority. Ukrainians are peaceful people. But they are people
who want to live – to live freely, in their own independent country. That’s why
we invest in defense. For many nations, there is simply no other way left.
Nations can speak about their pain from stages like this, but even during
bloodshed, there isn’t a single international institution that can truly stop
it. That’s how weak these institutions have become.
What can Sudan, or Somalia, or Palestine, or any other people living through
war, really expect from the UN or the global system? For decades, just
statements and statements.
And even everything happening in Gaza remains without a way out.
Even now, Syria – after all the changes – still has to appeal to the world to
ease the sanctions that are choking its economy. It has to ask and wait. Syria
deserves stronger support from the international community.
And as Russia’s war against my country goes on, people are still dying every
week. Yet there is no ceasefire – because Russia refuses.
Russia abducted thousands of Ukrainian children. And we’ve brought some of them
back. And I thank everyone who’s helped. But how long will it take to bring all
of them home? Childhood slips away faster than adults are able to help.
Look at Israel. Nearly two years have passed, and hostages still haven’t been
freed. They must be freed. But even that still hasn’t happened.
And for years, there have been no real answers to other threats either –
chemical weapons, and famine used as a weapon.
Last year at this assembly, I warned the world about the risk of radiation
disasters – especially due to Russia’s occupation of our Zaporizhzhia Nuclear
Power Plant, the biggest in Europe. But nothing’s changed. Nothing. And
yesterday, the plant went into blackout again. And Russia hasn’t stopped
shelling – even in areas near a nuclear facility. And because international
institutions are too weak, this madness continues.
Even being part of a long-standing military alliance doesn’t automatically mean
you’re safe. Just recently, 19 simple Russian drones violated Polish airspace.
And only 4 were shot down. Luckily, they weren’t “shaheds” or even worse.
Otherwise, the results would’ve been horrific.
Estonia had to call a UN Security Council meeting – for the first time in
history – because Russian fighter jets deliberately entered its airspace.
Moldova is defending itself – again – from Russia’s interference. We’re helping
Moldova. And Russia’s trying to do to Moldova what Iran once did to Lebanon. And
the global response? Again – not enough. We have already lost Georgia in Europe.
Human rights and the European nature of the state system are only shrinking
there. Georgia is dependent on Russia.
And for many, many years, Belarus has also been moving toward dependence on
Russia. Europe cannot afford to lose Moldova too.
It’s important to remember how the world once ignored the need to help Georgia
after Russia’s attack – and how the moment was missed with Belarus. Now Moldova
must not be lost. And for Europe, supporting Moldova’s stability is not costly –
but failing to do so would come at a much higher price. That’s why the EU needs
to help Moldova now – with funding and energy support, not just words or
political gestures.
We must not forget about protecting the rights of people – and the rights of
nations – in regions where these rights are under threat. The UN Charter and the
Universal Declaration of Human Rights must apply everywhere. But the Taliban in
Afghanistan dragged a whole country back into the dark ages. Cartels in some
Latin America countries are more powerful than the governments there. This is
all about collapse of international law and the weakness of the international
institutions. And so it’s about the rise of weapons. Weapons decide who
survives.
Excellencies!
Yesterday, President Trump stood right here, in this hall. God saved him from a
murder attempt during the campaign. A shot was fired from a rifle, and just a
fraction of an inch saved his life.
Just days ago, President – along with hundreds of thousands of Americans –
honored the memory of Charlie Kirk. Sadly, his life was cut short by a bullet –
once again, violence with a rifle in hand.
We also mourn the Ukrainian woman Iryna Zarutska. She was brutally killed with a
knife here in America – the very country where she was seeking refuge from
Russia’s war.
And almost every day, when we open the news, we see headlines about violent
attacks – happening all around the world. Most of it is done with weapons people
are already used to. But weapons are evolving faster than our ability to defend
ourselves.
Now, there are tens of thousands of people who know how to professionally kill
using drones. Stopping that kind of attack is harder than stopping any gun,
knife, or bomb. This is what Russia has brought with its war.
It used to be that only the strongest countries could use drones – because they
were expensive and complex. Now, even simple drones can fly thousands of
kilometers. War tech doesn’t care about geography anymore – it’s now reshaping
it.
Just recently, airports in Europe had to shut down because of drones.
Authorities couldn’t even say what kind of drones they were, who sent them, or
from where.
Last week, North Korea announced the test of a tactical strike drone. That means
– even countries with limited resources can now build weapons that are dangerous
to their neighbors.
Ukraine – and nations like Saudi Arabia – know all too well how dangerous
Iranian attack drones are. But what happens when all the types of drones become
available even to small terrorist groups or cartels? The world moves too slowly
to protect itself. And weapons move fast.
Now, companies are already working on drones that can shoot down other drones.
And it’s only a matter of time – not much – before drones are fighting drones,
attacking critical infrastructure, and targeting people – all by themselves,
fully autonomous, and no human involved – except the few who control AI systems.
Dear leaders!
We are now living through the most destructive arms race in human history –
because this time, it includes artificial intelligence. And if there are no real
security guarantees – except friends and weapons, and if the world can’t respond
even to old threats, and if there’s no strong platform for international
security – will there be any place left on Earth that’s still safe for people?
We need global rules – now – for how AI can be used in weapons. And this is just
as urgent as preventing the spread of nuclear weapons.
We need to restore international cooperation – real, working cooperation – for
peace and for security. A few years from now might already be too late.
10 years ago, war looked different. No one imagined that cheap drones could
create “dead zones”, areas stretching for dozens of kilometers where nothing
moves, no vehicles, no life. People used to imagine that only after a nuclear
strike – now it’s drone reality. Mass-produced, simple drones, and without AI –
yet.
Ukraine doesn’t have the “big, fat” missiles dictators love to show off in
parades. But we do have drones that can fly up to 2,000–3,000 kilometers. We had
no choice but to build them – to protect our right to life.
Control over the sea used to depend on having a big navy. Ukraine doesn’t have a
big fleet. But we succeeded in the Black Sea – we pushed what’s left of the
Russian navy into remote bays. And we did it with sea drones. That’s how we
protect our ports and maritime trade routes – because Russia has left us no
other choice.
And our “Spiderweb” operation, when cheap drones destroyed or damaged dozens of
expensive Russian strategic bombers, became a real example for special forces
around the world of what new weapons can do to old systems. These very Russian
bombers attacked our cities.
And none of this would have happened if Putin had not started this full-scale
aggression, full-scale war.
And every year that this war goes on, weapons become even more deadly. And only
Russia deserves to be blamed for this.
Dear leaders!
To protect lives, Ukraine builds underground schools and underground hospitals.
To protect lives, we have to spend more on protecting power stations from drone
and missile attacks than on building sports facilities or cultural
infrastructure. Ukrainian farmers are learning how to protect their equipment
from Russia’s FPV drone strikes, and for them, that challenge is far greater
than climate change. Russia’s war has put us in this situation. But do you have
protection against similar threats?
The facts are simple: stopping this war now – and with it, the global arms race
– is cheaper than building underground kindergartens or massive bunkers for
critical infrastructure later.
Stopping Putin now is cheaper than trying to protect every port and every ship
from terrorists with sea drones.
Stopping Russia now is cheaper than wondering who will be the first to create a
simple drone carrying a nuclear warhead.
So we must use everything we have – together – to force the aggressor to stop.
And only then do we have a real chance that this arms race won’t end in
catastrophe for all of us. If it takes weapons to do it, if it takes pressure on
Russia – then it must be done. And it must be done now. Otherwise, Putin will
keep driving the war forward – wider and deeper.
And we told you before – Ukraine is only the first. And now, Russian drones are
already flying across Europe. And Russian operations are already spreading
across countries. Putin wants to continue this war by expanding it. And no one
can feel safe right now.
So first, we are now building a new security architecture for ourselves. More
than 30 countries are already part of our Coalition.
And we’re strengthening army, launching joint weapons production with partners,
and defining financial commitments for defense – in a way that could become a
security model for any other nation. If security guarantees work for Ukraine –
something more than just friends and weapons – it will mean that people were
able to make national security not a privilege for a few nations, but a right
for everyone.
Second, we’re ready to make our modern weapons become your modern security, your
modern weapons. And we’ve decided to open up arms exports. And these are
powerful systems – tested in a real war when every international institution
failed.
And we are also ready to grow our defense production together with strong
partners so that their protection is modern and reliable. You don’t need to
start this race from scratch – we are ready to share what has already proven
itself in real defense.
And third, many in the world – still relaxed, still. But look at how many
countries are here, at this General Assembly – countries that are at war, or
just came out of war, or are trying to stop one. Or openly getting ready for
one. War has already reached too many people to pretend it has nothing to do
with you.
So it depends on you – whether you help peace or continue trading with Russia
and helping Russia to fund this war. It depends on you – whether prisoners of
war will be freed, whether abducted children will come home, whether hostages
will be free. It depends on you – what will define existence: war – like now, or
our joint strong actions – as it should be.
Yesterday, we had a good meeting with President Trump. And I also spoke with
many other strong leaders. And together, we can change a lot. Of course, we’re
doing everything to make sure Europe truly helps. And of course, we count on the
United States. I appreciate the support we are receiving. Yes, much depends on
the G7 and G20. But in the end, peace depends on all of us – on the United
Nations.
So don’t stay silent while Russia keeps dragging this war on – please, speak out
and condemn it.
Please join us in defending life, and international law and order. People are
waiting for action. Thank you so much!
Glory
to Ukraine!
Original Text Source: president.gov.ua/en
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