Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky called on other world leaders to create a special tribunal to punish Russia over its invasion of Ukraine, in hopes of ending the seven-month war.
Zelensky's remarks came on Wednesday at the annual gathering of world leaders at the United Nations General Assembly held in New York. The Ukrainian president also revealed his five-point plan where he called on his fellowmen to punish Russia and surge military aid to Kyiv to assist Kyiv in forcing Moscow troops out of the country.
Special Tribunal to Punish Russia
He said that what Russia wants is war, but noted that their troops will not be able to stop the course of history. Zelensky's comments were an explicit rebuke of non-Western and developing countries who called on Ukraine and Russia to immediately engage in a negotiated end to the conflict.
The Ukrainian leader said that Russia will be forced to end its invasion of Ukraine, the war that it started. Zelensky added that he was ruling out that the settlement can happen on a different basis.
This week, scores of non-aligned countries maintained a neutral position on the conflict, a stand that the Ukrainian leader described as only seeking to "protect their vested interests." Zelensky's remarks earned a rare standing ovation from world leaders in the UN General Assembly, as per the Washington Post.
Prior to Zelensky's speech, the assembly voted to allow the Ukrainian leader to address the body remotely by a unanimous 101-7 count, a privilege denied to other world leaders. After the Ukrainian president's remarks, the Russian delegation remained seated, along with delegations from Namibia, the United Arab Emirates, and other countries.
Zelensky chided that the seven countries that voted against his request were "afraid of a video address." As part of the president's plan, he said that a special tribunal should be created to hand out punishments to Russia, adding that the Kremlin should lose the veto power it enjoys as a permanent member of the UN Security Council.
According to Axios, the Ukrainian president said that the punishment handed out to Russia should continue until the aggression stops and "until the damages and losses for the war are fully compensated." The official also urged other countries to put a price cap on Russian oil and gas.
Russia-Ukraine War
Zelensky's UNGA speech came after Russian President Vladimir Putin ramped up the tensions of the war by ordering a "partial mobilization" of Russians with military experience and making a veiled threat to use nuclear weapons against Ukraine.
On the other hand, United States President Joe Biden also condemned Russia's invasion of Ukraine during his address on Wednesday. The Democrat said that it was "about extinguishing Ukraine's right to exist as a state - plain and simple."
The general assembly comes as Russian forces left the Kharkiv region and regrouped in the Donetsk region after Ukrainian troops made major gains in a recent counteroffensive. Following the retreat of Moscow's troops, Zelensky said that Ukrainian officials have found torture chambers and mass burial sites similar to those they found in Bucha, The Hill reported.
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