UNITED NATIONS — Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy told world leaders Tuesday that Russia is “weaponizing” everything from food and energy to abducted children in its war against Ukraine.
“We must stand up to this naked aggression today and deter other would-be aggressors tomorrow,” U.S. President Joe Biden told the assembly Tuesday in his own speech. As he pledged support to Ukraine, there was a round of applause, and the U.N. cameras showed Zelenskyy, sitting in Ukraine’s seat in the General Assembly, clapping his hands.
Moscow is keen to display its global influence and its relationship with China and insists that it cannot be internationally isolated by the U.S. and its European allies. Some nations pledged further money and weapons. But a key sticking point is whether to supply longer-range missiles that Kyiv insists it needs in order to hit Russian troops and facilities from a safe distance — as far as about 180 miles away. The U.S. is wary of the request, worried that Ukraine could use such weapons to strike deep into Russian territory and provoke Moscow.