Among the more interesting parts of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky's speech before the UN General Assembly on Wednesday afternoon was when he lashed out at North Korea.
Zelensky said while issuing leveling a litany of charges against Russia for its war that "The leader of North Korea sent his troops to Russia to support the weak points of the Russian army."
He questioned why a faraway southeast Asian country would be so willing to sacrifice its troops for a Russian endeavor.
Zelensky said: "You probably saw the broadcast from Pyongyang when they honored those who were killed. And this is madness, too. Why should Koreans give their lives in a war against Ukraine?"
He further accused Kim Jong Un of using his own citizens "like currency" in return for "improved ballistic missiles and Pyongyang’s much [upgraded] drone capabilities." Likely these barbs will only cause Kim's regime to double down, and keep up its military support to Moscow.
By some estimates, hundreds or possibly even thousands of DPRK troops have died so far in the Ukraine conflict. Pyongyang and Moscow have increasingly openly acknowledged the deaths, with North Korea even having held patriotic state funerals for slain troops.
Elsewhere in the address, Zelensky sought to portray his country as essentially 'winning' the war, claiming immense but unverifiable Russian losses on the battlefield, also while Ukraine's long-range drones unleash destruction on Russian energy infrastructure.
Zelensky:
— Clash Report (@clashreport) September 23, 2026
Just this year, from January through August, the Russian army lost 248,964 people on the battlefield in Ukraine. pic.twitter.com/luHxIwp2Au
Concerning the energy war, Zelensky went on to assert that "Oil itself is not Ukraine’s target, not our target, not gasoline or diesel, not factories or ports … Our target is Russia’s ability to finance this war, to drag it out, to make it more brutal and more destructive."
"Russia's finances and Russia's production are what must be stopped if Putin is to be stopped," Zelensky added. On this front, he presented Ukraine's risky long-range strikes as victorious. But he has also this week expressed willingness to agree to a joint energy ceasefire.
On sanctions, he pointed to Russia's budget deficit as now being "bigger than in any other year" - claiming that "Russia planned major operations on the front this summer; all of them failed."
Zelenskyy at the UN: "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" pic.twitter.com/xAOZvFgRro
— Aaron Rupar (@atrupar) September 23, 2026
Zelensky also used the speech to try and rally Western countries to not grow weak on punishing Russia and keeping its global isolation in place.
“Something always seems to stop Putin from saying, ‘That’s it. Enough, Peace,’” Zelensky 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 Russian assets must "remain a target," arguing that "when someone in the world weakens sanctions, weakens sanctions against Russian oligarchs, it may make life more comfortable for rich Russians, but it also gives Putin more time, to send his people into the kill zones."
