Ukraine War: Zelensky Denounces Russia's Recruitment of Nationals from 47 Countries at the UN

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky spoke at the United Nations General Assembly on Wednesday, where he denounced Russia's recruitment of foreign fighters to fight the war in Ukraine. "We know that Russia is recruiting nationals of 47 countries to fight this war," he told representatives of member states.

This intervention comes a few hours after Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said that Russia would "not make a truce" in the conflict that has pitted it against Ukraine for more than three years.

A diplomatic forum under tension

The UN General Assembly session has thus turned into a new theatre of verbal confrontation between Kiev and Moscow, with each side seeking to mobilise the support of the international community for its cause. Volodymyr Zelensky's remarks are intended to underline what Ukraine presents as an international dimension of the conflict, beyond a strictly Russian-Ukrainian face-to-face.

Sergei Lavrov's statements, for their part, confirm the position displayed by Moscow for several months: the lack of desire for an immediate ceasefire, despite repeated calls from several Western capitals.

Neither the Ukrainian presidency nor the Russian Foreign Ministry has, at this stage, publicly specified which countries would be affected by the recruitments mentioned by Mr. Zelensky.

The conflict in Ukraine, triggered by the Russian invasion in February 2022, remains one of the main sticking points discussed during this UN session, alongside other international crises.