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Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said the war between Russia and Ukraine cannot end by talks but that Moscow must be force into embracing peace.
Zelensky who spoke at the United Nations Security Council sought the support of Western leaders for what he calls a "victory plan" to end the war that began when Russia launched a full-scale invasion of his country in February 2022.
Zelensky said the war would end one day, "This war can't be calmed by talks. Action is needed. I thank nations who have provided Ukraine support.
"Putin has broken so many international norms and rules that he won't stop on his own, Russia can only be forced into peace, and that is exactly what's needed, forcing Russia into peace, as the sole aggressor in this war, the sole violator of the U.N. Charter," Zelensky said.
Zelensky took aim at North Korea and Iran for providing arms to Russia for the war, calling them "de facto accomplices" of Moscow.
Ukraine faces an uncertain future. A victory by former President Donald Trump over Vice President Kamala Harris in the Nov. 5 U.S. election could prompt a reset of Washington's policy on Ukraine, which relies heavily on U.S. military and financial support. Opinion polls show a tight U.S. race.
More than 2-1/2 years since the invasion, Russia controls about 20% of Ukrainian territory and has been advancing in the east.
Zelensky has said that if his plan to ensure peace is reached and backed by the West, it will have a broad impact on Moscow, including a psychological one that could help compel Putin to end the war diplomatically.
Reacting, Russian U.N. Ambassador Vassily Nebenzia at the meeting rejected the 15-member council's hosting of Zelensky.
"Western countries could not refrain from poisoning the atmosphere once again, trying to fill the air time with the hackneyed Ukrainian issue," Nebenzia said of the meeting.
"North Korea and Iran are not the only ones aiding and abetting Russia," U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken told the council. "China - another permanent member of this council - is the top provider of machine tools, microelectronics and other items that Russia is using to rebuild, to restock, to ramp up its war machine and sustain its brutal aggression."
China's Foreign Minister Wang Yi rejected U.S. accusations that Beijing's support for Russia was allowing it to continue its war in Ukraine.
"I wish to make it clear that on the Ukraine issue, any move to shift responsibility onto China, or attack and smear China, is irresponsible and will lead nowhere," he told the council.
