President Volodymyr Zelensky of Ukraine on Monday urged those gathering for the United Nations General Assembly in New York to place “real, powerful pressure on Russia” to end the war it began more than three years ago.
Mr. Zelensky posted the message on social media as, he said, rescue efforts were underway after Russian strikes on Zaporizhzhia and the Donetsk, Dnipro, Sumy, Kyiv, Kharkiv and Kherson regions. At least three people were killed in the overnight attacks, he said.
“Action must be taken so that murder and war do not become routine,” he wrote.
His message came as Karoline Leavitt, the White House press secretary, said President Trump would meet with Mr. Zelensky on Tuesday in New York.
Mr. Zelensky has expressed some optimism about U.S.-led peace efforts. Still, this year’s General Assembly is “the fourth time in a row that Russia accompanies one of the world’s highest-level annual diplomatic events with killings,” he posted.
The Ukrainian leader called on Europe, the United States, the Group of 7 and the Group of 20 countries to place “strong sanctions, strong political pressure and accountability for Russia’s war.”
Last week, the European Union announced a new package of sanctions — the bloc’s 19th — and sent a signal to the White House that it was willing to meet Mr. Trump’s demand that European nations to stop buying oil from Russia before the United States moved forward with more sanctions.
“It is time to turn off the tap,” said Ursula von der Leyen, the president of the European Commission, the bloc’s executive arm, as she announced the package of sanctions on Friday. The new measures “are an effective tool of economic pressure, and we will keep using them until Russia comes to the negotiating table,” she said.
Earlier on Monday, Mr. Zelensky spoke with Mark Rutte, NATO’s secretary general, about the need for protection against Russian strikes, primarily in the form of air-defense systems and missiles.
The Security Council is expected to hold a meeting on the war in Ukraine on Tuesday, and Mr. Zelensky is scheduled to speak on Wednesday.
Talya Minsberg is a Times reporter covering breaking and developing news.
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