Addressing the UN General Assembly’s annual debate, the President said the war “must be ended” and maintained that Russian President Vladimir Putin remains its sole driving force.

“For almost five years now, Russian generals have been trying to carry out Putin's crazy order to seize our eastern land, the Donetsk region,” he said.

Mr. Zelenskyy argued that Russia has suffered enormous losses for limited territorial gains, claiming nearly 249,000 Russian troops had been killed or seriously wounded during the first eight months of this year.

“It's madness,” he said. “But they still keep going.”

Conflict spreading beyond Ukraine

The President warned that the repercussions of the war are spreading beyond Ukraine’s borders, pointing to the involvement of North Korean forces fighting alongside Russia.

He said North Korean troops had suffered heavy losses and argued that Pyongyang was receiving military benefits in exchange, including improved missile and drone capabilities.

“A war that was not prevented in time, was not stopped in time, and for which Russia was not punished in time, keeps spreading and spreads evil with it,” he said.

Mr. Zelenskyy also warned that Russia continues to threaten countries beyond Ukraine, including Moldova, Poland and the Baltic States, while showing “no respect” for the sovereignty of countries in the South Caucasus and Central Asia.

“The more freedom Putin has to act, the more dangerous the world becomes for everyone else,” he said.

Targeting Russia’s war machine

The Ukrainian leader stressed that Kyiv's objective is not Russia's oil industry itself but Moscow's ability to finance and sustain the war.

“Our target is Russia's ability to finance this war, to drag it out, to make it more brutal and more destructive,” he said.

He called for continued sanctions, restrictions on trade with Russia and sustained international support for Ukraine through defence assistance and joint weapons production.

“When someone gives Russia more money through trade, they give this war more time,” he added.

Building security through innovation

Mr. Zelenskyy said Russia has launched thousands of missiles and tens of thousands of attack drones against Ukraine since the start of the year, including ballistic missiles and jet-powered Shahed drones.

In response, Ukraine is expanding production of interceptor drones and developing new air defence capabilities with European partners through an anti-ballistic initiative known as ‘Freya’.

He presented Ukraine's rapidly growing defence industry as a potential security resource for other countries, highlighting cooperation agreements on drone technology and integrated defence systems with international partners.

His vision, he said, was one of “peace through protection”.

Defending freedom

Acknowledging the toll of the war on Ukrainians, the President said his country's fight was fundamentally about survival and independence.

“Ukrainians did not choose this war,” he said. “We choose not to die, not to lose our country, our families, not to lose our independence, our freedom. And we are defending ourselves.”

Looking ahead, Mr. Zelenskyy warned that rapid advances in military technology and artificial intelligence could make future conflicts even more dangerous. He urged the international community to end existing wars before warfare enters a new technological era.

“Patient zero must be stopped,” he said, referring to President Putin. “Limit his room to act, limit his money, limit his war.”