Ukraine’s Zelenskyy calls for sustained pressure to end ‘Putin’s crazy war’

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has singled out Russian President Vladimir Putin as the reason for the continuing war between the two neighbouring countries, urging world leaders to sustain economic pressure on Moscow during his address at the United Nations General Assembly.

“For nearly five years now, Russia’s generals have tried to carry out Putin’s crazy war,” Zelenskyy said, adding that no one openly supported this war “except for one man”.

Zelenskyy said Russia had lost 248,000 soldiers over the last eight months in Ukraine, managing to capture “a little more than 1,000 square kilometres [386 square miles] of our territory this year”.

“Putin spent 248 people for every kilometre. Does anyone still think he is smart?” he said, adding that the numbers “are not just statistics. This is about people”.

“We have archived footage of thousands and thousands of Russians losing their lives in kill zones. This is what Putin wants,” he said.

“Something always seems to stop Putin from saying, ‘That’s it. Enough. Peace,'” Zelenskyy said. “Can you even imagine him without war? He is ‘patient zero’, the one from whom war keeps spreading further. ‘Patient zero’ must be stopped,” he said.

Zelenskyy said he expects Russia to intensify its bombing campaign on the country in the coming months and that Ukrainians are prepared for a harsh winter.

“Ukrainians understand that this winter could be very harsh for us, but in response we will have no choice but to make it harsh for Russia too,” he said.