Zelensky to Address UN Security Council on Sept. 24

President Volodymyr Zelensky is set to address a UN Security Council meeting in New York on Sept. 24 where Russia’s invasion of Ukraine would be on the agenda, the Slovenian mission to the UN said.

The meeting, set to take place ahead of the gathering of world leaders in New York for the annual session of the UN General Assembly, was reportedly requested by the US, the UK, France, Japan, South Korea and Malta, according to RBC Ukraine.

It’s unclear what issues Zelensky plans to raise at the Council’s meeting.

He is, however, expected to present his victory plan to the UN General Assembly meeting a day later, which US Ambassador to the UN Linda Thomas-Greenfield said has already been reviewed by the White House and is considered a generally viable proposal.

This plan includes Ukraine’s aspirations for NATO and EU membership, economic and security agreements, and requests for continued supplies of advanced weapons.

Earlier, it was reported that Zelensky is also expected to share the peace plan on the sidelines of the UN meetings with US President Joe Biden, and current US presidential candidates Donald Trump and Kamala Harris.

Zelensky’s potential meeting with Trump, if realized, would mark the first face-to-face meeting between the two since Trump’s presidency from 2017 to 2021.

Zelensky emphasized the importance of presenting this plan to both Harris and Trump, stating: “We do not know who the president will be, but we really want to fulfill this plan.”

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Ukraine Must Join the Joint Expeditionary Force, and the UK Should Lead the Way

The UK has been a leader in helping Ukraine. But as inertia sets in and with Western support wavering, efforts must be redoubled. The JEF is a natural bridge to NATO.

More calls for weapons?

Weapon supplies and deliveries to Kyiv are expected to be on the agenda when Zelensky uses this opportunity to address Ukraine’s Western partners as the war in Ukraine grinds on.

While he has criticized the slow delivery of promised Western aid, noting that Ukraine could not equip “even four brigades” out of its existing 14, US National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan attributed the issue to logistics, as opposed to Washington’s alleged indecision and imposed limits.

“There’s not some pacing or rate limitation that we have imposed. There are logistical challenges. There are challenges associated with the defense industrial base and the actual production of munitions.

“We are literally taking 155 [mm] shells [straight] off the line,” Sullivan said at the Yalta European Strategy (YES) meeting earlier this month, before acknowledging that Washington could indeed do more for Ukraine.

Zelensky has also repeatedly called for the lifting of restrictions on Kyiv’s use of long-range Western weaponry – including the US Army Tactical Missile System (ATACMS) and the Anglo-French Storm Shadow / SCALP EG cruise missile – to strike targets deep inside Russia, a notion that is also expected to be addressed in New York, according to Sullivan.