Zelenskyy, at UN, urges leaders to keep choking Russia’s revenues and impede its war efforts

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy urged the world’s leaders Wednesday (September 24, 2026) to keep choking Russia’s revenues and impede its war efforts, telling the UN General Assembly that “Russia’s revenues must remain a target.”

“When someone gives Russia more money through trade, they give this war more time. And that is exactly why we insist on limiting trade with the aggressor, and why we are burning Russia’s revenues ourselves,” he said, speaking in English at the UN General Assembly.

Russia gets its turn Saturday (September 26, 2026) to address the assembly. President Vladimir Putin hasn’t travelled to the gathering in years, sending Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov instead. Mr. Lavrov told the UN Security Council on Wednesday (September 23, 2026) that Russia is prepared to negotiate toward a lasting peace but won’t just “pause” the war. He argued that such a pause would buy Ukraine and its backers time to line up more weapons.

Russia invaded Ukraine more than 4½ years ago. Western analysts estimate that over 500,000 Russian troops have been killed and that Ukraine has recorded more than 500,000 military casualties, including up to 140,000 deaths. Neither country discloses its own casualty totals.

The war has had global repercussions for fuel, fertilizer and grain shipments — and for geopolitics, widening divisions between Russia and the West.

With front-line positions in eastern and southern Ukraine largely unchanged since last year, Russia and Ukraine have intensified long-range attacks with drones and missiles.