Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy defended the need to rearm amid what he called “the most destructive arms race in human history” at the UN General Assembly on Wednesday, arguing that “The only guarantee of security is friends and weapons.”
In a speech to the 193 members of the body gathered at the opening of the 80th session, Zelenskiy reiterated his warning that Ukraine is only the first step in a broader Russian offensive against Europe. He also made clear references to U.S. President Donald Trump, with whom he had held a “very positive meeting” the day before, in which the Republican leader radically changed his position on the war, fueling optimism in Kyiv. “We appreciate the support we are receiving from the U.S.,” the Ukrainian president emphasized.
Zelenskiy’s speech sounded like something resembling a “save yourself” approach through rearmament, not multilateral cooperation. “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. Gaza has reminded us of this. That’s why [in Ukraine] we invest in defense.” Zelenskiy stressed: “Even being part of a long-standing military alliance doesn’t automatically mean you are safe.” He cited the cases of Poland, where several Russian drones were detected flying over its airspace two weeks ago, and Moldova, which he presented as the next piece on the Russian chessboard and one that “Europe cannot afford to lose.”
The response from the world — that is, from the UN — is not enough, Zelenskiy said. But the response from friends and strong leaders, led by Trump, to whom he seemed to direct his speech, is, he intimated, even striking an emotional chord with the Republican administration: the murder of Charlie Kirk.
However, he did not elaborate much on the support Trump showed the day before, during their bilateral meeting, when the Republican stated that he sees Ukraine as capable of recovering all of the territory occupied by Russia in the east of the country, and even of winning the war.
The U.S. president’s frequent change of position on the matter probably also prevents his Ukrainian counterpart — who received a resounding rebuke from Trump during their first meeting at the White House last February — from taking his word at face value. This is reflected in the fact that during his meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Alaska in August, the Republican proposed to Kyiv a formula of “peace for territories,” that is, handing over the Donbas region to end the war.
“Collapse of the international community”
In the face of cooperation and common rules, Zelenskiy defended the right to rearmament. “The Taliban in Afghanistan has dragged a whole country back into the dark ages. Cartels in some Latin American countries are more powerful than the governments there, this is all about the collapse of international law and the weakness of the international institutions. Weapons decide who survives,” he said, warning that Russia “is killing professionally with drones, because war tech doesn’t care about geography anymore.” “Weapons are advancing rapidly and are being perfected,” he asserted, citing the specific example of unmanned aerial vehicles, part of the “most destructive arms race in human history because this time, it includes artificial intelligence.”
Precisely this week, within the framework of the 80th UN General Assembly, the first agreement for global governance of artificial intelligence will be presented, an initiative co-sponsored by Spain. Zelenskiy did not refer to this framework, but did make a veiled plea to the international community to harness its potential: “We need rules regarding the use of AI in weapons.” He also made use of the plural to encourage cooperation in Ukraine’s defense. “We must use everything we have together to force Russia to stop. We‘re ready to share with other countries what has worked in Ukraine’s defense against Russia.”
In this rearmament race, Ukraine will discuss the legal details of a joint arms production venture with the United States, Kyiv’s ambassador to Washington announced Wednesday, as part of a crucial effort to strengthen Ukraine’s defense industry. Ukraine hopes to increase domestic arms production with Western help, and to this end, a delegation will visit Washington on September 30 after receiving a “positive signal” from Trump about a hypothetical victory over Russia.
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