Ukraine's president Volodymyr Zelenskyy spoke at the 81st United Nations General Assembly in New York on Tuesday. He called for more economic sanctions against Russia, along the lines of the Russia sanctions act in the US, and slammed Russia's Vladimir Putin as the 'Patient Zero' of war.
Zelenskyy spoke hours after Russia's foreign minister Sergey Larvod spoke on Wednesday. Larvov said that Kremlin is willing to negotiate lasting peace in the region but won't pause the war, as it would give Ukraine and its allies time to gather weapons.
In his address, Zelenskyy described Putin as 'Patient Zero' of the disease of war. Patient Zero is a term used for the first infected patient of a major disease outbreak.
Deep Dive
Why did Zelenskyy call Putin 'Patient Zero' of war?
How could sanctions against Russia impact the war in Ukraine?
What are the implications of the US Russia sanctions act for countries like India and China?
“Something always seems to stop Putin from saying, ‘That’s it. Enough, Peace,’” Zelenskyy told the UNGA. “Can you even imagine him without war? He is ‘Patient Zero’, the one from whom war keeps spreading further. ... ‘Patient Zero’ must be stopped."
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{{/usCountry}}Taking a cue from the United States' recent Russia sanctions act, which gives the Trump administration power to impose up to 100% tariffs on countries importing oil and gas from Russia, Zelenskyy called for similar sanctions from other nations, noting 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,” Zelenskyy said.
Lavrov-Rubio 'closed-door' meeting: What to know
Against the backdrop of the Russia sanctions act, Russia's foreign minister Sergei Lavrov met with US Secretary of State Marco Rubio in a closed-door meeting at the UNGA Wednesday. Rubio told reporters after the meeting that Russia and Ukraine both expressed interest in a limited ceasefire which would limit the attacks on energy infrastructures from both sides.
“Obviously, you know, that won’t be easy either because" Rubio said. "But it’s something that both sides have expressed interest in. It doesn’t solve a war, but it does, I think, in some ways potentially alleviate some of the global pressures that have been felt as a result of that. So that’s something we’re always open to exploring.”