Stop Russia's war or face dangerous arms race, Zelenskyy tells UN

Volodymyr Zelenskyy also accused Vladimir Putin of seeking to expand his war beyond Ukraine.

Zelenskyy speaking at the UN

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy also sounded the alarm over the development of autonomous drones and unmanned aerial vehicles capable of shooting down other drones and targeting critical infrastructure. Source: Getty / Spencer Platt

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has told the United Nations that the world is in "the most destructive arms race in history" and called on the international community to act against Russia now.

He called for global rules to curb the use of artificial intelligence in weapons while describing breakneck innovation in the military use of drones.

Zelenskyy also accused Russian President Vladimir Putin of seeking to expand his war beyond Ukraine.

"We are now living through the most destructive arms race in history," Zelenskyy said at the UN General Assembly on Wednesday, local time.

"Ukraine is only the first and now Russian drones are already flying across Europe, and Russian operations are already spreading across countries, and Putin wants to continue this war by expanding it."

"Stopping Russia now is cheaper than wondering who will be the first to create a simple drone carrying a nuclear warhead," Zelenskyy told the 193-member assembly.
Zelenskyy said Ukraine had decided to begin exporting its weapons to allies.

"You don't need to start this race from scratch. We're ready to share what has already proven itself," he said, referring to defence production.

"We are ready to make our modern weapons become your modern security. We have decided to open up arms export. And these are powerful systems tested in a real war when every international institution failed," he said.

Zelenskyy's comments came a day after he met with US President Donald Trump, who expressed support for Ukraine's efforts and criticised Russia.

Trump said on Tuesday that Ukraine could retake all its occupied land from Russia in what would be an extraordinary battlefield reversal.
A Ukrainian drone attack on the Russian Black Sea naval base of Novorossiisk killed at least two civilians and injured three others, local authorities said on Wednesday.

The region's governor, Veniamin Kondratyev, denounced the "terrible attack" in broad daylight on the city centre.

"Five residential buildings, including apartment buildings, and a hotel building were damaged," he wrote on Telegram.

Russian authorities had earlier warned of a possible attack on the port by unmanned Ukrainian watercraft.


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