Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said on Wednesday that Vladimir Putin’s “madness” was fuelling the war in his country and urged allies to keep up the sanctions on Moscow so as to cut off its funding.
Speaking at the UN in New York, Zelenskyy said Russia’s president was spreading the idea of war and accused him of driving a conflict that continues to draw in foreign forces. “This is madness,” he said.
He described Putin as “patient zero,” from whom the idea of war keeps spreading, and warned the international community about the fate of tens of thousands of soldiers from 47 countries, including North Korea, sent to fight alongside Russian troops.
“Is there still anyone who thinks he is reasonable and moderate?” Zelensky asked.
By contrast, he pointed to two North Korean soldiers captured by Ukraine who were later sent to South Korea.
He said the priority was to weaken Russia’s ability to pay for the war and to stop it from making the conflict longer, harsher and more destructive.
“When Russia has money, it always says no — no to diplomacy,” he said, arguing that this amounted to a de facto veto against peace, even if not an official one.
Zelenskyy also criticised France, saying it had pressed in Brussels for sanctions on Russian oligarch Alisher Usmanov, a close ally of Putin, to be lifted in exchange for the release of a French citizen detained in Azerbaijan.
“When someone in the world weakens sanctions against Russian oligarchs, it may make life more comfortable for wealthy Russians, but it also gives the war more time, and gives Putin more time,” he said.
He insisted that Russia’s revenues must remain a target.
