Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky warned that Russia will expand aggression beyond Ukraine if allies do not act together. He spoke at the UN General Assembly in New York and urged faster support.
Zelensky’s warning and call for AI rules
Zelensky said Vladimir Putin „will keep driving the war forward wider and deeper“ unless stopped. He said more countries could face Russian aggression if partners do not show a united front and increase help.
He described a global arms race as the most destructive in human history. He said advancing military technology raises the stakes and that „weapons decide who survives.“ He called for global rules on AI and warned about autonomous drones and unmanned planes.
According to BBC News, Zelensky argued that stopping Russia now is cheaper than facing a future with simple drones that carry a nuclear warhead. He also said international institutions are „too weak“ to give Ukraine safety guarantees, and that joining a long-standing alliance does not automatically make a country safe.
Regional risks, Trump’s shift, and NATO airspace
Concerns over Moldova and missed chances
Zelensky warned that Europe cannot afford to lose Moldova to Russian influence. He said the West missed chances to save Georgia and Belarus from Putin’s orbit.
Moldova’s president Maia Sandu accused the Kremlin of „pouring hundreds of millions of euros“ into Moldova to spread fear and stir violence. Voters there go to the polls on Sunday, as a BBC investigation linked disinformation to a network with ties to Moscow.
Recent incidents have raised tension inside NATO airspace. Estonia and Poland asked for a consultation after separate airspace violations. Romania also said Russian drones breached its airspace.
Earlier on Tuesday, after Zelensky’s speech, US President Donald Trump said NATO nations should shoot down Russian planes that breach their airspace. He suggested Kyiv could win back all of its land with support from the EU and NATO, which marked an apparent U-turn from earlier talk of „land swaps.“ Zelensky praised Trump and said they had a good meeting.
Trump called Russia a „paper tiger.“ Kremlin spokesman Dimitry Peskov replied that Russia is more like a bear and rejected the US view. US Secretary of State Marco Rubio met Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov on Wednesday, the highest-level US contact since Trump invited Putin to Alaska last month. A State Department note said Rubio repeated Trump’s call to stop the killing and seek a durable resolution. The Kremlin did not comment.
