YouSaid · the spoken record

Volodymyr Zelenskyy

lines on the record: 60
first: 2019-09-24
most recent: 2023-09-24
sittings or episodes: 4
sources: un-general-debate

Every line below is reproduced as it was said and linked to the record it came from. Nothing here is summarised or generated. Directory · Search · Corrections

“Ukraine is doing everything to ensure that, after the Russian aggression, no one in the world will dare to attack any nation. Weaponization must be restrained; war crimes must be punished; deported people must come back home; and the occupier must return to its own land. We must be united to make that happen, and we will do it. Slava Ukraini.”
2023-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 78 (2023)
“God forbid, will end not because their land will be divided and they will be forced to submit to military or political pressure, but because their territory and sovereignty will be fully restored. We launched the format of meetings among national security advisers and diplomatic representatives. Important talks and consultations were held in Hiroshima. Copenhagen and Jeddah on the implementation of the peace formula, and we are preparing a global peace summit. I invite all participants who do not tolerate any aggression to jointly prepare the summit. I am aware of the attempts to make some shady dealings behind the scenes. Evil cannot be trusted. Ask Prigozhin if one can bet on Putin’s promises. I ask that Member States hear me. Let unity decide everything openly. While Russia is pushing the world to a final war.”
2023-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 78 (2023)
“Tomorrow I will present the details at a special meeting of the Security Council. The main thing is that it is not only about Ukraine. More than 140 States and international organizations have supported the Ukrainian peace formula, fully or in part. The Ukrainian peace formula is becoming global. Its points offer solutions and steps that will stop all the forms of weaponization that Russia used against Ukraine and other countries and that may be used by other aggressors. Look, for the first time in modern history, we have a real chance to end the aggression on the terms of the nation that was attacked. It is a real chance for every nation to ensure that aggression against their State, if it happens.”
2023-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 78 (2023)
“Just as nuclear weapons are limited, the aggressor and all its tools and methods of war must likewise be restrained. Every war can now become the final one. but it takes our unity to make sure that aggression will not intrude again. It is not a dialogue between the so-called great Powers somewhere behind closed doors, but the open work of all nations for peace that can guarantee us all a new era of no wars. Last year (see A/77/PV.7. annex I). I presented the outlines of the Ukrainian peace formula at the General Assembly. Later, in Indonesia. I presented the full formula. Over the past year, the peace formula has become the basis for updating the existing security architecture. We can now bring the Charter of the United Nations back to life and guarantee the full power of the rules-based world order.”
2023-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 78 (2023)
“While humankind fails in the objectives of its climate policy, it means that extreme weather will still have an impact on normal global life, and some evil State will also weaponize its outcomes. When people in the streets of New York and other cities of the world went out on climate protests, we all saw them. When people in Morocco. Libya and other countries die as a result of natural disasters, when islands and countries disappear under water and when tornadoes and deserts spread into new areas, while all that was happening, one unnatural disaster in Moscow decided to launch a big war and kill tens of thousands of people. We have to stop it. United, we must act to defeat the aggressor and focus all our capabilities and energy on addressing those challenges.”
2023-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 78 (2023)
“The goal of the current war against Ukraine is to turn our land, our people, our lives and our resources into a weapon against those present and against the international rules- based order. Many seats in the General Assembly Hall may become empty if Russia succeeds in its treachery and aggression. The aggressor disseminates death and brings ruin, even without nukes, but the outcomes are similar. We see towns and villages in Ukraine wiped out by Russian artillery, completely levelled to the ground. We see a war of drones. We know the possible effects of spreading the war into cyberspace. Artificial intelligence could be trained to fight well before it would learn to help humankind. Thank God. people have not yet learned to use climate as a weapon.”
2023-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 78 (2023)
“We know the names of tens of thousands of children, and have evidence regarding hundreds of thousands of others, kidnapped by Russia in the occupied territories of Ukraine and later deported. The International Criminal Court issued an arrest warrant for Putin for that crime. We are trying to get children back home, but time goes by. What will happen to them? Those children in Russia are taught to hate Ukraine, and all ties with their families are broken. That is clearly genocide. When hatred is weaponized against one nation, it never stops there. Each decade. Russia starts a new war. Parts of Moldova and Georgia remain occupied. Russia turned Syria into ruins, and if it were not for Russia, chemical weapons would have never been used there. Russia has almost swallowed Belarus. It is clearly threatening Kazakhstan and the Baltic States.”
2023-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 78 (2023)
“Not only is it spreading its unreliable nuclear-power-plant construction technologies, but it is also turning other countries’ power plants into real dirty bombs. Look what Russia did to our Zaporizhzhya power plant. It shelled it and occupied it. and it now blackmails others with radiation leaks. Is there any sense in reducing nuclear weapons when Russia is weaponizing nuclear power plants? That is a scary question. The global security architecture offers no response or protection against such a treacherous radiation threat, and there is no accountability for radiation blackmailers so far. The third example is children. Unfortunately, various terrorist groups abduct children to put pressure on their families and societies. But never before have mass kidnapping and deportation been a part of Government policy — not until now.”
2023-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 78 (2023)
“when Russia has undermined the Black Sea Grain Initiative, we are working to ensure food stability. I hope that many Member States will join us in those efforts. We launched a temporary sea-export corridor from our ports, and we are working hard to preserve the land routes for grain exports. It is alarming to see how some of our friends in Europe play out solidarity in a political theatre, making a thriller out of the grain. They may seem to play their own role, but they are in fact helping to set the stage for a Moscow actor. Second is the weaponization of energy. Many times, the world has witnessed Russia using energy as a weapon. The Kremlin weaponized oil and gas to weaken the leaders of other countries when they came to Red Square. Now the threat is even greater. Russia is weaponizing nuclear energy.”
2023-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 78 (2023)
“Since the start of the full-scale war. the Ukrainian ports in the Black and Azov Seas have been blocked by Russia. Until now. our ports on the Danube River remain the target for missiles and drones. Russia’s attempt to weaponize the food shortage on the global market in exchange for the recognition for some, if not all. of the captured territories is clear. Russia is launching food prices as weapons. The impact spans from the Atlantic coast of Africa to South-East Asia. That is the threat scale. I would like to thank the leaders who supported our Black Sea Grain Initiative and the Grain From Ukraine programme. United, we made turned weapons back into food. More than 45 nations saw how important it was to make Ukrainian food products available on the market, from Algeria and Spain to Indonesia and China. Even now.”
2023-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 78 (2023)
“Frankly, that is a good strategy. But it should not be the only strategy to protect the world from a final war. Ukraine gave up its third-largest nuclear arsenal. The world then decided that Russia should become a keeper of such power. Yet history shows that it was Russia that deserved nuclear disarmament the most, back in the 1990s; and Russia deserves it now. Terrorists have no right to hold nuclear weapons. No right. But nukes are truly not the scariest now. While nukes remain in place, mass destruction is gaining momentum. The aggressor is weaponizing many other things, and those things are used not only against our country, but also against those of all present. There are many conventions that restrict weapons but there are no real restrictions on weaponization. First, let me give an example — food.”
2023-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 78 (2023)
“I welcome all who stand for common efforts. I promise that, by being truly united, we can guarantee fair peace for all nations. What is more, unity can prevent wars. This Hall saw many wars but not as an active defender against aggressions. In many cases, the fear of war. the final war. was the loudest here — the war after which no one would gather in the General Assembly Hall again. The third World War was seen as a nuclear war — a conflict between States on the highway to nukes. Other wars seemed less scary compared to the threat of the so-called great Powers firing their nuclear stockpiles. The twentieth century therefore taught the world to restrain from the use of weapons of mass destruction — not to deploy, not to proliferate, not to threaten with and not to test, but to promote complete nuclear disarmament.”
2023-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 78 (2023)
“That’s why the world is on our side. And finally. I want to thank one hundred and one countries that voted for my video address to take place. It was a vote not only about the format. It was the vote about principles. Only seven countries voted against: Belarus, Cuba, North Korea, Eritrea, Nicaragua, Russia and Syria. Seven who are afraid of the video address. Seven who respond to principles with a red button. Only seven. One hundred and one — and seven. Friends! — if this coalition is against our determination, then I congratulate you all. Because this means that peace will prevail over any aggression, and that there is no Obstacle for us to implement the peace formula. I thank you for your attention! Once again, I wish you all peace!”
2022-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 77 (2022)
“Sham referendums are also true. Russia wants war. It’s true. But Russia will not be able to stop the course of history. Mankind and the international law are stronger than one terrorist state. Russia will be forced to end this war. The war it has started. I rule out that the settlement can happen on a different basis than the Ukrainian peace formula. The further the Russian terror reaches, the less likely it is that anyone in the world will agree to sit at one table with them. And if my words will be followed by new Russian missiles and acts of terrorism it will only prove the weakness. Russia’s weakness. Its inability to prevail over us, its inability to prevail over the world. It will only prove that 5 items of the Ukrainian peace formula must be implemented as soon as possible. We are ready for peace. But true, honest and fair peace.”
2022-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 77 (2022)
“This is an imbalance when Africa, Latin America, most of Asia, Central and Eastern Europe comply with the right of veto, that they themselves never had. And this is what Ukraine is talking about. And have you ever heard such words from Russia? But it is a permanent member of the Security Council. For some reason. For what reason, not Japan or Brazil, not Tiirkiye or India, not Germany or Ukraine. The day will come when this will be resolved. As for the talks between Ukraine and Russia. Probably you have happened to hear different words from Russia about the talks — as if they were ready for them. But. They talk about the talks but announce military mobilization. They talk about the talks but announce pseudo referendums in the occupied territories. What is true then? The military mobilization in Russia is true.”
2022-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 77 (2022)
“They pretend to be interested in each other’s problems. They take care of each other formally. They sympathize only for protocol. And that is why they pretend to protect someone, but in reality, they protect only their vested interests. This is what creates the conditions for war. This is what needs to be corrected in order to create conditions for peace. All you need is determination. There was a lot of talking about reforming the UN. How did it all end? No result. If you look carefully at our peace formula, you will see that its implementation is already becoming a de facto reform of the United Nations. Our formula is universal, and unites the North and the South of the world. It calls for the world’s majority, and encourages to expand the representation of those who remained unheard.”
2022-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 77 (2022)
“This is the determination of the partners to help us, and also themselves. And this is the determination of the world to unite around the one who fights against armed aggression and to call to order the one who threatens all. So, all five items of our formula: punishment for aggression; protection of life; restoration of security and territorial integrity; security guarantees; and determination to defend oneself. This is the formula of crime and punishment, which is already well known to Russia. And this is the formula of justice and law and order that Russia has yet to learn. As well as any other potential aggressors. What is not in our formula? Neutrality. Those who speak of neutrality, when human values and peace are under attack, mean something else. They talk about indifference — everyone for themselves. Here’s what they say.”
2022-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 77 (2022)
“These are the conditions for the guarantors to act, and the timeline for their actions to bring results — results on land, at sea and in the air; in diplomacy and politics, in economy and finance, in providing weapons and intelligence. Each of you, who will receive the text of our peace formula will also see the details of what we offer as security guarantees. I do not want to compare our offers with the guarantees of any alliances that exist on the planet now. I want to stress that it is always much better to guarantee the security of a nation, preventively, rather than to stop a war after it has already begun. And the fifth item of the Ukrainian peace formula is determination. Something without which the other four items will not work. This is our determination to fight.”
2022-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 77 (2022)
“When one country tries to steal the territory of another state, it puts all world nations under attack. Global security cannot be restored without restoring the territorial integrity of the nation which suffered the armed aggression. So, the third item of the Ukrainian peace formula is the restoration of security and territorial integrity. The fourth item is security guarantees. Every nation has the right to security guarantees. Not only the largest nations. Not only the most fortunate ones. We have proposals to upgrade the security architecture for Ukraine, and for Europe and the world, which will not allow any more aggression against us. We are already presenting them to partners. Proposals for legally binding multilateral and bilateral treaties.”
2022-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 77 (2022)
“After the burning of Ukrainian prisoners in Olenivka by the Russian military. After blocking the ports. After the strikes of Russian tanks and missiles on nuclear power plants. And after threats to use nuclear weapons, which have become the rule, not the exception, for Russian propagandists ... We must finally recognize Russia as a state sponsor of terrorism. At all levels. In all countries that confess the values of peace and protection of human life. Legally. Politically. If you don’t have a legal mechanism, you can make a political decision — in the parliaments. This is the foundation for restoring global security. If this strong step is taken, doubts will disappear — whether to take other important steps. And what is very sensitive — is the border, the territorial integrity.”
2022-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 77 (2022)
“It is necessary to cap the prices at which Russia exports its energy re-sources. It is necessary to make Russian oil and gas —just ordinary goods again. Currently, oil and gas are Russia’s energy weapons. And that is why it manipulates the markets so that electricity, gas, petrol and diesel become the privilege of few instead of being a common good available to all. Limiting prices is safeguarding the world. This is the way to restore energy and price security. But will the world go for it? Or will it be scared? Will it be scared of Russian threats? It is necessary to take only one strong step, after which everything will become clear. The time has come for this. This step will put everything in place. After the Russian missile terror. After the massacres. After Mariupol.”
2022-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 77 (2022)
“The explosion hit the station buildings — windows were broken, walls were damaged. The rockets exploded only three hundred meters from the walls of the reactors! And this is after the IAEA’s clear appeal to Russia to stop any hostile activity against any nuclear facilities of Ukraine and, in particular, against the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Station — the largest one in Europe, which Russia has turned into a target. And that makes all of you a target. Russian radiation blackmailing is something that should concern each and every one of you, because none of you will find a vaccine against radiation sickness. The cost-of-living crisis continues in dozens of countries, it roots in the destabilization of the energy market. It is necessary to remove the main factor of global price turbulence, namely: Russian energy blackmailing.”
2022-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 77 (2022)
“Algeria, Ethiopia, Egypt, Libya, Kenya, Somalia, Sudan, Tunisia, Bangladesh, Israel, India, Iran, Yemen, Cyprus, China, Korea, Lebanon, Tiirkiye, Belgium, Bulgaria, Greece, Ireland, Spain, Italy, Netherlands, Germany, Romania and France have already received Ukrainian agricultural products. And we have to increase the supply by sea. Both under market conditions and within the UN Food Program, for which Ukraine is always a reliable partner. By the way, despite all the difficulties caused by the war, we decided to provide humanitarian aid to Ethiopia and Somalia, so we will send them an additional amount of our wheat. But it is more difficult with other security elements. On the eve of the General Assembly meeting, Russia fired missiles at the South Ukraine Nuclear Power Plant.”
2022-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 77 (2022)
“And we need financial support — to keep internal stability and fulfill social obligations to our people. Physical and social protection are two elements of any nation’s life. So, the second item of our peace formula is the protection of life. By all available means — allowed by the UN Charter. The third item of our peace formula is restoring security and territorial integrity. Look at how many elements of global security Russia has undermined with its war — maritime safety, food safety, radiation safety, energy safety and safety from weapons of mass destruction. We are already restoring maritime safety and food security. And I thank Mr. Antonio Guterres for his personal involvement.”
2022-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 77 (2022)
“But Russia is afraid of real negotiations and does not want to fulfill any fair international obligations. It lies to everyone. As it is typical for aggressors, for terrorists. Even now, when Russia talks about negotiations, it only wants to slow down its retreat. Russia wants to spend the winter on the occupied territory of Ukraine and prepare forces to attempt a new offensive. New Buchas, new Izyums ... Or at least it wants to prepare fortifications on occupied land and carry out military mobilization at home. We cannot agree to a delayed war. Because it will be even hotter than the war now. For us, this is a war for life. That is why we need defense support — weapons, military equipment and shells. Offensive weapons, a long-range one is enough to liberate our land, and defensive systems, above all, air defense.”
2022-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 77 (2022)
“So, how can we allow the Russian army somewhere on Ukrainian soil, knowing that they are committing such mass murders everywhere? We cannot. We must protect life. The world must protect life. Every state suffering the armed aggression needs the opportunity to protect its citizens and liberate its territory. If it requires help with weapons or shells — they should be provided. If you need financial help for this, it should be given. If for this, it is necessary to help with the intelligence data —just do it. But what is not needed, is lies. We can return the Ukrainian flag to our entire territory. We can do it with the force of arms. But we need time. We tried to speed it up. We tried to implement the basic provisions of the UN Charter for Ukraine through negotiations.”
2022-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 77 (2022)
“There is a family that died under the rubble of a house after a Russian airstrike — father, mother, 6- and 8-year-old girls, grandparents. There is a man who was strangled with a rope. There is a woman with broken ribs and wounds on her body. There is a man who was castrated before the murder, and this is not the first case. Ask, please, the representatives of Russia why the Russian military are so obsessed with castration. What was done to them so that they want to do this to others? The only thing that differs the mass burial in Izyum from what the world saw in Bucha is, in fact, the burial. The Russian army was in Izyum for a longer time, and therefore the bodies of the killed people were buried, and not scattered on the streets.”
2022-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 77 (2022)
“Ukraine will appeal to the UN General Assembly to support an international compensation mechanism. We count on your support. Russia should pay for this war with its assets. It is also a punishment. This is one of the most terrible punishments for Russian officials, who value money above everything else. The second item of the peace formula is the protection of life. The most concrete item. Now, while the sessions of the General Assembly continue, in the Ukrainian town of Izyum, Kharkiv region, the exhumation is under way ... of bodies from a mass burial, which happened when the territory was controlled by Russian troops. The bodies of women and men, children and adults, civilians and soldiers were found there. 445 graves.”
2022-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 77 (2022)
“In order to punish the aggressor within the institutions. We should not turn a blind eye to propagandists who justify aggression, but apply a full package of personal restrictions against them. That is a punishment for lying. Citizens of the aggressor state should not be allowed to enjoy tourism or shopping in the territory of those who value peace, but should be encouraged through visa restrictions to fight against the aggression of their own state. Punish for abetting the evil. A Special Tribunal should be created to punish Russia for the crime of aggression against our state. This will become signal to all “would-be” aggressors, that they must value peace or be brought to responsibility by the world. We have prepared precise steps to establish such Tribunal. They will be presented to all states.”
2022-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 77 (2022)
“And this is the first item of our peace formula. Comprehensive item. Punishment. Punishment for the crime of aggression. Punishment for violation of borders and territorial integrity. Punishment that must be in place until the internationally recognized border is restored. Until the aggression stops. And until the damages and losses for the war are fully compensated. Therefore, sanctions against the aggressor are a part of the peace formula. Blocking the trade and relations with the aggressor is a part of the peace formula. All this is a punishment. So long as the aggressor is a party to decision-making in the international organizations, he must be isolated from them — at least until aggression lasts. Reject the right to vote. Deprive delegation rights. Remove the right of veto — if it is a Member of the UN Security Council.”
2022-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 77 (2022)
“The UN Charter proclaims the equality of nations — and we proved that Ukraine is equal among the equals. The UN Charter protects the inviolability of borders — and we confirm our state borderline by expelling the occupiers outside. The UN Charter stipulates the value of human rights, dignity and life, and we also stipulate them — with every Ukrainian city freed from Russian occupation. We did not provoke this war. We held 88 rounds of talks in various formats to prevent this war, just from the beginning of my presidency until February 24 this year. But Russia — instead of stopping the crime of aggression, which it started back in 2014 — turned it into a full-scale invasion. And we have no choice but to defend ourselves. We do it. We push the aggressor beyond the internationally recognized border of the Ukrainian state.”
2022-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 77 (2022)
“Dear journalists! Nations of the world! Ukraine wants peace. Europe wants peace. The world wants peace. And we have seen who is THE ONLY ONE who wants war. There is only one entity among all UN Member States who would say now, if he could interrupt my speech, that he is happy with this war — with his war. But we will not let this entity prevail over us, even though it is the largest state in the world. Ukraine showed strength on the battlefield, using its right to self-defense in accordance with Article 51 of the UN Charter. And no one will reproach us now or in the future with weakness or inability to fight for ourselves, for our independence. We are achieving a result in this fight and we see what the end of this war will be, and what will be the guarantees of a stable peace.”
2022-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 77 (2022)
“Punishment for the catastrophic turbulence that Russia provoked with its illegal war and not only for us, Ukrainians, but for the whole world. For every nation that is represented in this Hall of the UN General Assembly. I am speaking on behalf of the state, which is forced to defend itself, but has the formula for peace. I am speaking to everyone who wants to hear how to achieve peace. I will present a formula that can work not only for us, but for anyone who may find themselves in similar circumstances as we did. It is a formula that punishes crime, protects life, restores security and territorial integrity, guarantees security, and provides determination. There are five preconditions for peace. Dear Mr. President of the General Assembly! Dear Secretary-General of the United Nations! Dear heads of states and governments!”
2022-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 77 (2022)
“Greetings to all people of the world who value peace and unity between different and equal nations! I wish you all peace! I thank you that we are united in our striving to restore peace and to guarantee peace for any nation that has become a victim of the armed aggression. A crime has been committed against Ukraine, and we demand just punishment. The crime was committed against our state borders. The crime was committed against the lives of our people. The crime was committed against the dignity of our women and men. The crime was committed against the values that make you and me a community of the United Nations. And Ukraine demands punishment for trying to steal our territory. Punishment for the murders of thousands of people. Punishment for tortures and humiliations of women and men.”
2022-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 77 (2022)
“And this is exactly the future we want, and this is exactly the UN we need. I sincerely wish you, Mr. President, to achieve this goal, along with all stakeholders. I am convinced that these are 193 UN Member States. Thank you for attention.”
2020-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 75 (2020)
“It testifies to the crisis the United Nations, the security architecture, the health of humanity, our economies and the world as a whole find themselves in. The 75th anniversary of the UN foundation should become an impetus for transforming our Organization into a more dynamic and efficient body. I really want to start my speech in 2021 by saying that the 75th General Assembly session will come down in history as an example of returning to active multilateralism and efficient international solidarity. A session which did not only recall the Purposes and Principles of the UN Charter but started to permanently and unwaveringly follow them. A session which revived the truth that was fundamental when the UN was established: we don’t have a planet B. We live here and just once.”
2020-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 75 (2020)
“What we need is sincerity in dialogue and active solidarity, because this is where the value of multilateralism lies. We have to overcome together the most serious economic crisis of the last years. The expected figures of GDP fall are sometimes double-digit. This is not just the statistics interesting for selected experts. This is the reduction of quality of life of billions of people, looming rise of a threat of hunger for millions. To unite efforts of all the countries is a must of our time. Ukraine cannot stand aside and is ready to make its own contribution in ensuring, in particular, the food security of the mankind. Mr. President, Every year the call for actions instead of talks is getting louder and louder in the General Assembly.”
2020-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 75 (2020)
“It does not care whether the country has nuclear weapons or what is the level of its GDP, whether the state is part of G7 or G20, whether Christianity, Islam, Judaism or other religions are professed in this country. All of it matters nothing for COVID. The COVID-19 showed that global world is not just the world without borders. It is also about global responsibility, when counteracting joint threats should involve not 7, not 20, but at least 193 countries. Today we are coming to understanding that the fight against COVID-19 will not take just one year. It is hardly the last pandemic that we will have to see through. That is why we have to emerge from the existing crisis stronger and well prepared. This is the test for all countries. A race for limited resources will only exacerbate the problems.”
2020-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 75 (2020)
“Ukraine, being one of the countries that from 2014 on actively counteracts the propaganda and information attacks, stands ready to initiate the establishment in Kyiv of the headquarters of the international office to counter disinformation and propaganda. The fact that our planet is not that big anymore was finally proved by the year 2020. Fires in Australia that shook the world. Or downing of a Boeing 737, when Ukrainian aircraft carrying the citizens of Ukraine, Canada, Iran, Afghanistan, United Kingdom and Sweden was struck down over the territory of Iran. And of course — COVID-19 pandemic, which spread at a lightning speed. The mankind did not even manage to google “Covid” and “Wuhan” when coronavirus was already knocking on the door of every house. Consider also this. Coronavirus spares no one.”
2020-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 75 (2020)
“And it is not only about the Ukrainian case; it is about all global threats to the planet, reports on which are getting longer and longer with every passing year. And what is the most terrifying is that calamities have become a new normal. The world got accustomed to horrible news. They still shock but are quickly forgotten once a new information bomb explodes on the global agenda. At the last year’s Assembly session, I said: “There is no more a notion of somebody else’s war. Our planet is not that big anymore”. It is proved by the MH17 case. It is proved by the environmental threats. By problems with access to food and drinking water. It is proved by information threats to the world. When disinformation and fake news can influence world markets,stock exchanges and even electoral processes.”
2020-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 75 (2020)
“I also call for support of the updated resolution “Situation with human rights in the Autonomous Republic of Crimea and the city of Sevastopol, Ukraine” that will be presented to the General Assembly by the end of this year. And what is the most important — the cases of Crimea and Donbas should not become customary elements of the international landscape where only reports, conferences and protocol statements on the anniversaries of occupation will be taken as sufficient form of the international reaction. On the contrary — until the wound in the center of Europe is bleeding, the pain will be felt all over the world. And the only recipe for the efficient treatment is the de-occupation of Crimea and Donbas. I understand that from 2014 on this message is heard at the UN every year. But this is exactly where the biggest problem lies.”
2020-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 75 (2020)
“It ultimately proves that the mechanisms of the 1945 do not work today to the full extent. All this can bring about further depreciation of the Security Council. Ukraine will actively participate in its reform. This body should become more representative, balanced, transparent and efficient. It is in the United Nations’ vested interest to have an effective instrument if somebody is violating and abusing the veto right and the status of the permanent member. In addition, availing myself of this opportunity I want to invite our friends to participate in the establishment of the international Crimea platform for concerted actions to protect the rights of the Crimeans and de occupy the peninsula.”
2020-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 75 (2020)
“The next steps on this way should become the withdrawal of unlawful military formations and armaments from the occupied territories, return of control over the state border, and, finally, restoring territorial integrity of Ukraine within the internationally recognized borders. We are grateful to our international partners for the help and support on this difficult way. We hope for further unity of the international community on this cause. I’m convinced that it is the United Nations that should play an important role in restoring sovereignty and territorial integrity of Ukraine, along with respect of the international law. We need to improve the existing mechanisms to this end. It is unacceptable when sovereignty of the independent state is violated by one of the permanent members of the UN Security Council.”
2020-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 75 (2020)
“Would they change something in the UN Charter and mechanisms of the United Nations had they known that 75 years later, as a result of the war in Donbas, there would be 14,000 killed and almost 1.5 million people would lose their homes? Undoubtedly, over the last year we proved that Ukraine really strives for peace. We managed to unblock the dialogue, we resumed meetings of the Normandy format leaders, we made substantial progress in mutual release of the detained persons. And starting from 27 July, there is a comprehensive ceasefire in place, which, despite attempts to disrupt it, still gives hope for achieving sustainable ceasefire. And it is badly needed to keep moving towards genuine peace.”
2020-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 75 (2020)
“I am saying it as the Head of a state in which in the 21st century the Russian Federation annexed the Crimean Peninsula. Head of the state, which is containing Russia’s military aggression in Donbas for the seventh year in a row. What feelings would the founders of the United Nations have, had they known that 75 years later, in the center of Europe, there would be a war? That in Crimea human rights would be flagrantly violated, that persecutions of Ukrainians and Crimean Tatars would be taking place. That militarization of the peninsula and water areas around it would be building up, which would undermine security balance of the Black Sea region.”
2020-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 75 (2020)
“And on 24 October 1945, at the conference in San Francisco, the UN founding nations, with Ukraine among them, put aside all contradictions and got united to build a better world together. Undoubtedly, during these 75 years numerous achievements were made in terms of economic development, poverty eradication, minimization of wars and cataclysms that could have happened was it not for the United Nations. The humanity conquered the Space, and even can hold UN sessions remotely thanks to modern technologies. Speaking the language of these technologies, the UN has become a software that saved the world from critical errors. At the same time, we have to acknowledge that the system is getting glitched more and more. It is being attacked by new “bugs” or “viruses”. And their containment is not always efficient.”
2020-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 75 (2020)
“The countries lock down their borders, the Summer Olympic Games postponed, and the session of the UN General Assembly is held online. A year ago, we would say that this is a script for the apocalyptical blockbuster, not the realities of 2020. In such uneasy for the world times it makes sense to recall the feelings of the leaders of the United Nations founding states 75 years ago. The humanity just survived the most horrendous war. The world resembled a soldier who was strolling across a blood-drenched field a minute after the explosions stopped. Emaciated, hollowed, at a loss but alive. The Second World War became a “global earthquake” that claimed tens of millions of lives. Yet humanity managed to recover.”
2020-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 75 (2020)
“Distinguished Mr. President, Your Excellences! Ladies and Gentlemen! On behalf of Ukraine I have the honour to congratulate you, Mr. Bozkir, on your election as President of the 75th UN General Assembly session. You are steering the Assembly in hard times when even traditional international instruments and formats may not work. That is why I want to assure that Ukraine has been and will continue to be a reliable partner for you and the United Nations, even despite the fact that we are separated by thousands of kilometers. A year ago, in New York we discussed threats to the future of the world, we devised plans, we made forecasts. But could anyone has imagined back then that the year 2020 would stage such a crush test for the planet?”
2020-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 75 (2020)
“I hope that my words reflect an understanding of the danger facing the world and are not a mere announcement from the rostrum.”
2019-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 74 (2019)
“Acknowledging all the dangers and challenges of civilization, we must create new values and fight for a new mindset free from aggression, anger and hatred. On this day, 25 September, in 1970, Erich Maria Remarque died, and his novel All Quiet on the Western Front was first published some 90 years ago. Its epigraph read: “It will try simply to tell of a generation of men who, even though they may have escaped the shells, were destroyed by the war.” Ninety years ago saw the publication of another novel, A Farewell to Arms, in which Ernest Hemingway wrote: “War is not won by victory.” No one has ever stopped when they were winning. The world must remember that every new crippled generation is the path to a new war that cannot be won through victories. Someone may say today that there will be no Third World War, and that the Second was last.”
2019-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 74 (2019)