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Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky took centre-stage at the United Nations on Tuesday where US President Joe Biden warned the world against trying to \u201cappease\u201d Russia\u2019s \u201cnaked aggression\u201d.<\/p>\n
Wearing his trademark military fatigues, Zelensky joined the annual UN General Assembly<\/a> for the first time since the war and listened intently as Biden urged solidarity against Russia\u2019s invasion.<\/p>\n Russian President Vladimir Putin \u2014 who did not come to New York \u2014 is expecting that the world \u201cwill grow weary and allow it to brutalise Ukraine without consequence\u201d, Biden said.<\/p>\n \u201cBut I ask you this: If we abandon the core principles of the UN Charter to appease an aggressor, can any member state in this body feel confident that they are protected? If we allow Ukraine to be carved up, is the independence of any nation secure?\u201d Biden said.<\/p>\n \u201cWe must stand up to this naked aggression today to deter other would-be aggressors tomorrow.\u201d<\/p>\n Biden won applause from the chamber when he called for Ukraine\u2019s territorial integrity, but several prominent world leaders decided to miss this year\u2019s UN session, including from China, and allies Britain and France.<\/p>\n Zelensky is set to meet leaders less friendly to Ukraine\u2019s cause, including Brazil\u2019s President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, who has said previously that Ukraine shared blame for the war and faulted the billions of dollars in Western military aid to Kyiv.<\/p>\n Lula, who casts himself as a neutral mediator, told the General Assembly that \u201cwork needs to be done to create space for negotiations.\u201d \u201cA lot is invested in weapons and very little in development,\u201d Lula said.<\/p>\n Zelensky, who until recently only travelled in utmost secrecy, will on Wednesday take part in a special session on Ukraine at the UN Security Council, where Russia is a permanent member wielding a veto over any binding actions.<\/p>\n He is also due to stop in Washington.<\/p>\n Visiting a New York hospital treating wounded Ukrainian soldiers on Monday, Zelensky said that the United Nations still provides \u201ca place for Russian terrorists\u201d.<\/p>\n Russia has met overwhelming criticism at the General Assembly over its February 2022 invasion, but the focus on the war has also drawn criticism from developing countries who believe it has distracted the West, especially from other urgent priorities.<\/p>\n Dire climate crisis warnings<\/h2>\n