Zelenskyy warns that only “friends and weapons” can stop Putin in the UN speech

Only “friends and weapons”, and not international laws, can protect against war and authoritarian ambitions, warned the Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelenskyy during a speech at the General Assembly of the United Nations.

The Ukrainian leader, who pleaded with the international community to counter the Russian president Vladimir Putin in the midst of his more than three and a half years war, again warned that Ukraine could have been the European first nation to endure the confrontation of Moscow to the international order, but it will not be the last.

“Putin will continue to conduct the wider and deeper war. And we have already told you, Ukraine is only the first. And now Russian drones are already flying across Europe,” said Zelenskyy. “Russian operations are already spreading across countries, and Putin wants to continue this war by widening it.

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The president of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy speaks at the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) at the United Nations on September 24, 2025 in New York. (Michael M. Santiago / Getty Images)

“No one can feel safe right now,” he added.

A general tone of dissatisfaction with the effectiveness of the rules based on the rules has rang several times during the Unga, because world leaders have condemned an increasing contempt for international law and human rights in the midst of growing security threats and geopolitical conflicts.

Zelenskyy has once again argued that it was cheaper to stop Putin now than trying to catch up in a arms race, build underground bunkers in cities and under kindergarten and try to “protect each port and each ship from terrorists with sea drones”.

“Stop Russia is now cheaper than wondering who will be the first to create a simple drone with a nuclear warhead,” he said.

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The firefighters work on the site of a fire building after a Russian attack in kyiv, Ukraine, early Thursday, August 28, 2025. (Photo / efrem lukatsky)

But it is not only the failure of the international community to arrest Putin that Zelenskyy addressed.

He underlined the Israeli hostages which are still held in Gaza and the horrible conditions in which the Palestinians live.

“There are simply no more means (that) nations cannot speak of the pain of scenes like this,” said Zelenskyy. “But even during bloodshed, there is not a single international institution that can really stop it. It is how weak these institutions have become.

“What is Sudan or Somalia or Palestine or other people living through war really expect from the UN or the global system?

The president of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy speaks at the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) at the United Nations on September 24, 2025 in New York. (Spencer Platt / Getty images)

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“In the end, peace depends on all of us, the United Nations,” said Zelenskyy. “So don’t stay silent while Russia continues to drag this war. Please speak and condemn.

“Please join us to defend life and international law,” he added. “People are waiting for action.”