Zelenski mocks Moscow visit request, says he'll arrive on a rocket
At the UN General Assembly, President Volodymyr Zelenski answered a Russian reporter’s question about a Moscow trip by quipping he would come "on a rocket" and warned that Russia’s war could spread across Europe.
In the margins of the UN General Assembly, a VGTRK journalist shouted repeatedly in Russian, "Vladimir Alexandrovici, when are you going to Moscow?" President Volodymyr Zelenski first brushed off the query before delivering a dry retort that he would come "on a rocket," likely adding a profanity. He noted that Putin has made a personal meeting contingent on such a visit.
Zelenski then warned that Russia’s relentless war risks spilling into other parts of Europe and urged stronger economic sanctions to compel a peace deal before another winter of fighting. He reminded listeners that the conflict has global repercussions, from grain shortages and rising fuel prices to a dangerous drone arms race. He also claimed that Russian forces have suffered heavy casualties and have captured only a small fraction of Ukrainian territory, underscoring the high cost of the invasion.
Why it matters
The exchange highlights Ukraine's refusal to negotiate on Russia's terms and the broader risk of the war spreading in Europe.
How this story developed
- Aug 14 Russia claims strikes on Ukrainian rail hub and vessels as drones hit Russian ports
- Sep 17 A fourth Russian strike on the Zaporizhstal Iron and Steel Works wounded a worker.
- Sep 17 A Russian jet‑drone strike near the Polish‑Ukrainian border triggered air‑defence alerts and fighter scrambles.
- Sep 19 President Donald Trump signed a bill that gives the United States new authority to impose broad sanctions on Russia, targeting its energy sector and senior officials.
- Sep 19 Tusk invoked NATO’s Article 4 and announced a trip to Kyiv.
- Sep 19 President Trump signed the expanded sanctions law.
- Sep 20 Power supplies were cut for thousands of households in the Odessa region after the latest missile and drone barrage.
- Sep 21 Donald Trump asked Volodymyr Zelenskyy to stop Ukrainian strikes on Russian oil refineries, linking them to rising diesel prices worldwide.
- Sep 21 Russian drones struck Zaporizhzhia, injuring five and causing fires, while a woman was killed in the Kharkiv region and a mother with two children died in the Kyiv region.
- Sep 21 Trump’s appeal to cease refinery attacks was made ahead of his scheduled meeting with Zelensky at the UN General Assembly.
- Sep 23 Secretary of State Marco Rubio said the United States will invite President Vladimir Putin to the December G20 summit in Miami, while President Volodymyr Zelensky urged Russia to accept a maritime cease-fire proposal for the Black Sea.
- Sep 23 Russia fired multiple waves of ballistic missiles at Kiev overnight, causing at least two deaths and six injuries.
- Sep 23 U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio announced the invitation to Putin for the December G20 summit in Miami.
- Sep 24 The wave of strikes expanded beyond Kyiv to hit Odessa and the Kharkiv region, raising the death toll.
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