WATCH: Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy's full address to the UN General Assembly:
- By Current Time
Zelenskiy’s warning on what he claimed were Russian plans to attack Ukraine’s nuclear power plants was also raised by the Ukrainian leader to the Security Council a day earlier. Zelenskiy told the council’s 15 members that Ukraine had obtained information that Russia was planning to attack its three nuclear plants.
“We have proof of this. If Russia is ready to go that far, it means nothing you value matters to Moscow,” he said.
In the past, Zelenskiy has warned about risks to the Russian-occupied Zaporizhzhya plant. In 2023, Zelenskiy said Russian forces had placed devices resembling explosives on the roofs of that plant’s reactors.
Zelenskiy also told NBC News that year THAT Russia "does want to blow up" the Zaporizhzhya nuclear power plant.
In his speech, Zelenskiy singled out China for its role in Russia's war against Ukraine. That, said lawmaker Oleksandr Merezhko, marks a potential shift in Kyiv’s previously cautious approach toward Beijing.
"He was bold in his criticism, pointing out that this plan seems to serve Russia’s interests," Merezhko, who heads the international affairs committee in the Verkhovna Rada, Ukraine’s parliament, told RFE/RL’s Ukrainian Service. "We can observe a growing willingness from Zelenskiy and his administration to openly call out China’s support for Russia in the war."
Zelenskiy also hinted at Ukraine's concern over the use of satellite data by Russia, possibly provided by third-party nations, which could be used to target Ukrainian nuclear power plants.
The comments followed an earlier interview with ABC News on September 24, where he suggested that Russia might be using Chinese satellite technology to conduct such surveillance.
Zelenskiy’s administration have in the past tried maintain constructive relations with China, despite its strategic partnership with Russia. The UN speech may signal a change in approach.
These remarks reflect an evolving stance from Kyiv, which has previously sought to maintain constructive relations with China, despite its strategic partnership with Russia.
KYIV -- Zelenskiy's UN speech was not the focus for many people that RFE/RL spoke on September 25, but most were at least aware of his U.S. trip.
Kostyantyn Novokhaskiy, 75, a pensioner and former archivist, had little hope that Zelenskiy's speech or his U.S. visit as a whole would change much.
"We had been hoping for the war to end back in 2022 and 2023 and now we know it will last for many years," he said.
Vladyslav, a 47-year-old soldier in the Kyiv air defense system who did not give his surname due to military protocol, was waiting for a bus after his shift.
"I think Zelenskiy's speech won't help. The allies will give us even fewer weapons. We have no choice but to defend ourselves," Vladyslav said. "The situation on the front lines is difficult."
Taisia Lizun, 54, an engineer who survived the Russian occupation of Bucha outside Kyiv early in the full-scale invasion, gave a coin to a soldier playing a trumpet to collect money.
"We hope for a miracle. We hope the world will hear us even if it did not for more than two years," Lizun said.
"I expect we will get more weapons and permission to hit Russian territory. We don't want to attack civilians, but we need to stop the Russian Army," she said. "We don't want to fight to the last Ukrainian, but Russia is pushing us."
Not everyone was satisfied with Zelenskiy's speech.
Ivanna Klympush-Tsyntsadze, an opposition lawmaker, thought Zelenskiy could have been more pointed in his criticism of Russia, she told RFE/RL's Ukrainian Service.
"I believe he should have been harsher in addressing the Russian Federation's unacceptable actions. Some of the sharp edges were smoothed over, and I felt a stronger tone was needed," she said.
During his speech, Zelenskiy criticized the peace proposals floated by China and Brazil and he hinted at the use of third-party satellite data -- potentially Chinese -- in targeting Ukrainian nuclear facilities.
Still, Klympush-Tsyntsadze said she was dissatisfied with Zelenskiy's overall rhetoric toward Beijing.
"Just yesterday, we heard U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken speak openly about the unacceptability of China's assistance to Russia and evidence of such support," she said. "But Ukraine avoids these accusations, and our president does not make them explicitly."
Beijing has yet to officially respond to the allegations regarding its involvement in Russia's war against Ukraine.
- By RFE/RL
And that's all from our live-blog coverage of President Volodymyr Zelenskiy's speech at the United Nations today.
For continuing coverage of Zelenskiy's U.S. visit -- including a potentially consequential meeting with President Joe Biden at the White House on September 26 -- be sure to follow all of RFE/RL's essential coverage:
In Ukrainian at Radio Svoboda
In Russian, at Radio Svoboda and Current Time
And in English at RFE/RL