September 21, 2022: Biden and Zelensky address UN General Assembly

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky addressed the UN General Assembly on Wednesday in a pre-recorded speech that focused on the Russian war launched on Feb. 24. 

He outlines five preconditions for peace during his speech:

Here are the key lines from Zelensky's remarks:

Zelensky received a standing ovation from most delegates after his speech. The Russian delegation remained seated and did not applaud.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky told the United Nations General Assembly on Wednesday that the entire world wanted peace in his country, with the exception of Russia.

“Ukraine wants peace. Europe wants peace. The world wants peace,” he said in a pre-recorded speech.

There is “only one entity” among all UN member states that was happy with “his” war, Zelensky said, alluding to Russian President Vladimir Putin without saying his name, adding, "We will not let this entity” prevail over us.

The president said Ukraine had shown strength on the battlefield by using its right to self-defense.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky demanded "just punishment" for the crimes Russia has committed since the invasion of Ukraine.

Ukraine wanted Russia punished for trying to steal territory and for the murder of thousands of people, he said.

In addition:

Lithuanian Foreign Minister Gabrielius Landsbergis said Wednesday that Vladimir Putin’s partial mobilization announcement is “a sign of desperation," but downplayed the Russian President’s nuclear saber-rattling.

In remarks overnight, Putin threatened to use “all means” at his disposal to respond to the West, saying, “I’d like to remind them that our country has also various similar weapons and in some cases more modern weapons than NATO. In order to protect our people and in order to protect Russia, we will definitely use all means.”

Landsbergis said he believes the Russian leader is bluffing.

“I'm more worried about the people who are worried about this than about actual saber-rattling,” he said.

“It shouldn’t come as a surprise that Putin is an aggressive actor, that Russia is an aggressive country. We should not have expected him just to have a limited conflict with Ukraine, limited war,” Landsbergis added.

Hungary’s President Katalin Novák said the "threat of escalation" in Russia's invasion of Ukraine should prompt concern and action from UN member states.

At the UN General Assembly on Wednesday, Novák called for the documentation, investigation and prosecution of war crimes by the relevant international institutions.

“No crimes committed can go unpunished," she added, arguing that declaring peace should be a major priority in the Russia-Ukraine conflict. She said the United Nation's purpose for being formed in the first place was to establish and create peace.

The president said Hungary has provided aid to the Ukrainian people since the start of the conflict, sheltering more than 1 million refugees.

Some context: Hungary is among a handful of eastern European countries that are particularly reliant on Russian oil that is delivered through pipelines, and have few immediate alternatives.

Also, Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban, Putin's closest ally in Europe, threatened to veto proposed sanctions on Russian oil in May that the other 26 member states have approved.

Additionally, at the end of August, Hungary’s nuclear regulator granted a construction license for two new reactors to be built by Russia’s Rosatom under a 2014 deal signed between Budapest and Moscow. The project has often been cited as evidence of warm ties between Orban and Putin.

European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen told CNN on Wednesday that she believes the latest move from Russian President Vladimir Putin calls for a new round of European Union sanctions against Russia. 

“President Putin is showing his weakness now because what you see is that he tries to mobilize personnel that is less trained, less experience, less motivated and he wants to start sham referenda on Ukrainian sovereign soil. So I think this calls for sanctions from our part again,” von der Leyen told CNN’s Christiane Amanpour in an interview.  

Earlier in the day, Putin announced an immediate partial mobilization of Russian citizens, marking the biggest escalation since the start of his war in Ukraine. 

After the interview, von der Leyen gave the Amanpour program this statement, confirming her commitment to fresh sanctions against Moscow: 

During the interview, the EU leader hailed the effect of sanctions so far, saying they are “really biting.” 

When Amanpour asked about the Russian leader’s nuclear rhetoric in his recent address, von der Leyen said “Putin has nuclear weapons, that’s a fact, but will never bow to blackmail.” 

Latvia's President Egils Levits said that President Vladimir Putin has ordered a partial mobilization because Russia's "once mighty army is overwhelmed" by the Ukrainian forces.

He dismissed the recent announcement of "illegal referenda" on the annexation of the occupied territories in Ukraine to the Russian Federation as another sign of desperation.

"This is a blatant contravention of both Ukrainian and international law," he said.

"Latvia will not recognize the legitimacy of these referenda and their results. I call on the international community to do likewise," he added. 

Levits said despite the commencement of legal action against Russia by the International Criminal Court and International Court, a legal gap existed.

"No international court has jurisdiction over as a main issue the starting of a war of aggression, the gravest violation of the charter of United Nations and to international law," Levits said.

To rectify the problem, the Latvian leader called on the international community to form a special tribunal to investigate Russia's invasion.

Maia Sandu, the president of Moldova, spoke directly to families in her country, thanking them for "opening their homes and hearts" to millions of Ukraine refugees.

In remarks at the United Nations General Assembly in New York on Wednesday, Sandu said she represents a country that wants peace. She pointed out that Moldovan people speak a diverse range of languages — including Ukrainian and Russian — but “regardless of our ethnicity" or political preferences, “we all want peace.”

Sandu paid tribute to all Moldovan families who showed “unprecedented solidarity with refugees by opening their homes and hearts to those in need" during the war.

Moldova, which has about 2.6 million people, sheltered more than half a million refugees fleeing the war. At its peak, Moldova's population grew by 4% as Ukrainians crossed the border, the Moldovan president said. Sandu said about 800,000 refugees chose to stay in the country.

“It is our moral duty as an international community to continue supporting Ukraine," the president said.

Sandu's address comes as Moldova was granted European Union candidate status in June. During her remarks, she said is grateful for the support from member states and for the "recognition and vote of trust in our love for freedom” and democracy.

“By applying to join the European Union, we want the world to know we choose democracy over autocracy, liberty over oppression, peace over war, and prosperity over poverty," Sandu said.

US President Joe Biden is holding a bilateral meeting with UK Prime Minister Liz Truss on Wednesday at the United Nations Headquarters in New York.

The meeting was set to start at 1:15 p.m. ET, according to the White House.

Biden said he and Truss would discuss Russia's ongoing invasion of Ukraine, China and energy security among other things during their bilateral meeting at the United Nations. 

"We have a full agenda today," Biden said. 

The President also congratulated Truss on her ascent to the premiership and said that he looked forward to working together "closely."  

"I want to extend my congratulations to you madam prime minister for becoming prime minister and I look forward to working closely with you — you're our closest ally in the world. There's a lot we can continue to do together," Biden said.