on the world stage
Zelensky says Russia is 'no different' from ISIS in address to UN Security Council
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky addressed the United Nations Security Council via video link on Tuesday, offering stark descriptions of Russian atrocities against Ukraine and a heartfelt plea for international assistance, The Hill reported.
"They cut off limbs, cut their throats. Women were raped and killed in front of their children. Their tongues were pulled out, only because the aggressor did not hear what he wanted to hear from them. This is no different from other terrorists, such as [the Islamic State]," Zelensky said.
He added that the images of dead civilians found in Bucha were "only one of many examples" of Russian brutality. "The world has yet to see what they have done in other occupied cities and regions of our country," Zelensky said.
Zelensky also accused Russian forces of deliberately "creating mass starvation" in besieged cities like Mariupol and of causing "a global food crisis that could lead to famine in Africa, Asia, and other countries." Russia and Ukraine jointly produce around 30 percent of the world's wheat exports, and the war between the two threatens food security for millions of people worldwide.
The Ukrainian president then expressed frustration with the United Nations' failure to take more drastic action against Russia. "Where is the security that the Security Council needs to guarantee? It's not there ... It is obvious that the key institution of the world, which must ensure the coercion of any aggressor to peace, simply cannot work effectively," Zelensky said. He also called for Russia to be removed from the Security Council.