GLIMPSES: Zelenskyy calls out opponents of his video address
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy delivered the lone video speech at the U.N. General Assembly
Your support helps us to tell the story
From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.
At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.
The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.
Your support makes all the difference.It was the lone video speech at the U.N. General Assembly, and it came from someone who had an official excuse: Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.
While the summit returned fully in-person to U.N. headquarters in New York this year after a remote version in 2020 and a hybrid session last year, member states overwhelmingly voted last week to allow the head of the war-torn nation to address the hall.
But there were a few holdouts. In his address Wednesday, Zelenskyy didn't let them off the hook.
“I want to thank the 101 countries that voted for my video address to take place. It was a vote not only about the format. It was the vote about principles. Only seven countries voted against: Belarus, Cuba, North Korea, Eritrea, Nicaragua, Russia and Syria," Zelenskyy said. "Seven. Seven who are afraid of the video address. Seven who respond to principles with a red button. Only seven. One hundred and one — and seven.”
There were also 19 abstentions.
Seated in the General Assembly Hall during Zelenskyy's address were his wife , Olena Zelenska, and the Russian delegation. The latter remained seated through the speech, opting against walking out — a sanctioned form of protest. Zelenskyy's speech was received with a standing ovation from several delegations.
___
For more AP coverage of the U.N. General Assembly, visit https://apnews.com/hub/united-nations-general-assembly