Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky used a forceful address at the U.N. General Assembly to call out China’s stance on the war in Ukraine, arguing that Beijing has the power to bring the conflict to an end but has so far chosen silence over action.
“China is also represented here. A powerful nation on which Russia now depends completely,” Zelensky said. “If China truly wanted this war to stop, it could compel Moscow to end the invasion. Without China, Putin’s Russia is nothing. Yet too often, China stays silent and distant instead of active for peace.”
Placing his challenge to Beijing near the center of his appeal for united action, Zelensky said the Security Council’s permanent members — including China, the United States, Britain, France, and Russia — carry a special responsibility to uphold international law when diplomacy alone fails. He warned that if some powers act while others delay, “the war goes on.”
Zelensky began his speech by lamenting what he called a fading global attention to the United Nations, saying the organization has “less influence” and too often fails to deliver “real decisions on fundamental issues.” He urged leaders to “be the force that acts,” and insisted that the Council’s core tools “will work — if you are active, if we are active.”
He sharply criticized Russia for using its veto power to block efforts to end what he described as the largest war in Europe since World War II. “Russia does this with impunity, using its veto power, buying influence, and keeping peace on hold,” he said, accusing President Vladimir Putin of avoiding direct engagement and sending delegates “who cannot and don’t want to stop the bloodshed.”
The Ukrainian President expressed gratitude to the United States for supporting Ukraine’s defense and for exploring proposals for a ceasefire, saying his government has agreed to every American proposal while Russia “always says no.” He said he had just met with President Trump to discuss “how to finally bring peace,” and welcomed new ideas to pressure Moscow.
He also thanked the United Kingdom and France for their backing and invoked the 1994 Budapest Memorandum — in which Ukraine surrendered its nuclear weapons in exchange for security guarantees — as a warning that international promises can “turn into blabbering.” He called for a new security architecture with real guarantees, saying such strength could deter future aggression.
He closed by stressing the toll of the war on Ukraine’s people and infrastructure and urged world leaders to unite behind concrete action. “Ukraine wants peace more than anyone in the world,” he said. “If you stand together for ending this war, even Russia will have to obey.”
