Zelenskyy targets Russia's oil revenues at UN: Putin's war capacity must be stopped

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said in his speech at the 81st UN General Assembly that Russia's capacity to finance the war must be targeted. In his assessment of Russia's oil sector, Zelenskyy stated, "For the first time in Russian history, we are hearing that the oil sector is taking its last breath."

Starting his speech by referencing a message from US President Donald Trump on his social media account, Zelenskyy recalled Trump's post stating that Russia had lost control of its diesel sector. The Ukrainian leader said, "For a country that holds a permanent seat on the UN Security Council and is so proud of its oil exports, it is hard to imagine a more humiliating loss."

Zelenskyy stated that Ukraine's goal was not "oil, gasoline, diesel, factories, or ports," but rather to reduce Russia's capacity to finance, prolong, and make the war more destructive. Opposing the easing of sanctions on Russian oligarchs, Zelenskyy said this gives Putin time to continue the war.

HE TOUCHED UPON RUSSIA'S LOSSES AND THE DONETSK TARGET

The Ukrainian leader claimed that the Russian army lost 248 thousand 964 people in Ukraine between January and August of this year. Stating that this number includes soldiers who were killed or severely wounded, Zelenskyy noted that despite this, Russia has only been able to capture just over a thousand square kilometers of territory this year, and that a portion of this has been reclaimed by Ukrainian forces.

Zelenskyy conveyed that Putin told US President Trump's representatives that he needed "a few more months" to capture the Donetsk region. The Ukrainian leader stated that this was a promise that had been repeated before, adding, "Putin will fail again."

Claiming that North Korea has sent soldiers to the war and is receiving ballistic missile and drone technology from Russia in return, Zelenskyy also said that Moscow is using citizens from 47 countries in the war. Zelenskyy stated that these individuals were taken to Russia through various methods and called on the relevant countries to look after their citizens.

Sharing figures regarding Russia's offensive capacity, Zelenskyy said that more than 2 thousand 100 missiles have been fired at Ukraine since the beginning of the year, and that more than 950 of these were ballistic missiles. Stating that 63 thousand attack drones were used in the same period, Zelenskyy noted that more than 7 thousand 700 of them were jet-powered Shahed drones.

Announcing that Ukraine has successfully tested four new jet-powered interceptor drones against this threat, Zelenskyy said they have launched an anti-ballistic missile program called FREYJA with European partners. He stated that in addition to Ukraine, Norway, Sweden, Denmark, Germany, France, Italy, the UK, Spain, and the Netherlands are included in the program.

Zelenskyy sent a message that if Russia continues to target Ukraine's energy and heating infrastructure during the winter months, the response toward Moscow will increase. The Ukrainian leader said, "Ukrainians understand that this winter could be very harsh. But in return, we will have no choice but to make the winter painful for Russia as well."

News Source: 12punto