Volodymyr Zelensky appeals for more pressure on Russia

Ukraine’s president is visiting the US to lobby for greater support against Russia’s invasion.

Volodymyr Zelensky at UN on Tuesday. Picture: AFP

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky told the UN Security Council overnight on Tuesday that “Russia can only be forced into peace”, as he pressed allies for more support to resist intensifying Russian onslaughts.

Mr Zelensky’s address to world leaders came as Donald Trump said he would end US involvement in the war in Ukraine if he secured a return to the White House, in comments that will prompt deep concern in Kyiv.

“Biden and Kamala got us into this war in Ukraine, and now they can’t get us out. They can’t get us out,” Mr Trump said in a campaign speech in Georgia.

“I think that we’re stuck in that war unless I’m president. I’ll get it done. I’ll get it negotiated, I’ll get out. We gotta get out. Biden says, ‘We will not leave until we win.’ What happens if they win?”

Although the US has not sent troops to Ukraine, it has supplied the vast majority of weapons to Kyiv as it fights off Russia’s invasion. Mr Zelensky said in April that Ukraine would have “no chance of winning” without US military assistance.

Mr Zelensky is in the US to present what he has called a “victory plan,” an effort aimed at refocusing waning Western attention on Ukraine as the invasion slides toward the three-year mark.

He didn’t elaborate on the plan in his short speech on Tuesday, but has said he wants more weapons, permission to use longer-range missiles to strike within Russia, and security ­guarantees.

The Biden administration has refused to remove US restrictions on long-range strikes in Russia, frustrating Kyiv which says it has to fight with one arm tied ­behind its back.

Mr Zelensky is scheduled to meet President Joe Biden at the White House overnight on Thursday, and hopes to meet Mr Trump and Kamala Harris.

“This war can’t simply fade away. This war can’t be calmed by talks,” he said. “Action is needed.”

His visit comes amid a worsening military situation for his forces, as Russia is pressing at several points along the front line in the country’s east.

Russia is closing in on the key logistics hub of Pokrovsk and advancing in other nearby cities like Vuhledar, a mining centre nearly surrounded by Russian forces, and Toretsk, which sits on the end of a ridge.

Ukraine in August invaded Russia’s Kursk region, which Mr Zelensky said was part of his plan to increase Ukrainian leverage over Russia.

Russia has launched limited counterattacks that have squeezed Ukrainian troops occupying dozens of towns and villages in Kursk, but has been unable to fully oust them.

Mr Zelensky on Tuesday accused Russia of “international crimes” by targeting Ukrainian civilians and energy infrastructure, and accused Russia of planning to target Ukrainian nuclear power plants.

Russia has systematically targeted Ukraine’s energy infrastructure in recent months, knocking out around half of the country’s electricity grid, forcing rolling blackouts across the country and sparking concerns of a fresh waves of refugees from the country this winter.

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken told the UN Security Council on Tuesday it should seek to address Russia’s growing co-operation with North Korea and Iran. Iran has provided strike drones and short-range missiles to Russia, while North Korea has sent missiles and artillery ammunition. “If countries stopped supporting Russia, Putin’s invasion would soon come to an end,” Mr Blinken said.

The Wall Street Journal, The Times