Russia’s deportation of “tens of thousands” of Ukrainian children was “clearly a genocide,” Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky accused at the United Nations on Tuesday, also denouncing the use of energy and food as weapons.
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“We know the names of tens of thousands of children and have evidence that hundreds of thousands more were abducted by Russia from the occupied territories of Ukraine and then deported,” he denounced.
“We are trying to get these children home, but time is running out. What will happen to them? In Russia they are taught to hate Ukraine and all ties with their families are severed. “It is clearly a case of genocide,” the president condemned in front of the Russian deputy UN ambassador Dmitri Polyanski, who was present at the Russian table.
The International Criminal Court has issued an arrest warrant against Vladimir Putin over the “illegal deportation” of thousands of Ukrainian children since February 2022. Moscow rejected the allegations.
In a widely acclaimed speech, the president also criticized Russia for having a nuclear arsenal.
“Terrorists have no right to possess nuclear weapons,” he emphasized.
“Russia is using food prices (…) and nuclear energy as a weapon,” he also accused.
Finally, he repeated his call for the organization of a “world peace summit”.
“I invite all of you – all who do not tolerate aggression – to prepare this summit together,” he stressed.
Ukraine launched a dialogue on its president’s 10-point peace plan by holding meetings in June and August in Copenhagen and then in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, attended by representatives from dozens of countries.