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Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy slammed the United Nations as ineffective for nations experiencing war, telling the UN General Assembly on Wednesday that “only we can guarantee our own security” as he warned of humanity’s “most destructive arms race” driven by artificial intelligence and drone warfare.
“What can Sudan, Somalia or Palestine or any other people living through war really expect from the UN? For decades, just statements”, Ukraine’s president said in his criticism of the international institutions for the lack of action.
In a strongly-worded speech, the Ukrainian leader said that “there are no security guarantees, except friends with weapons,” stating that weapons determine survival and international law only functions with “powerful friends who are truly willing to stand up for it.”
“And even that doesn’t work without weapons,” he emphasised.
‘Only a matter of time before drones fight drones’
Ukraine’s president dedicated much of his time on the podium to what he described as “the most destructive arms race in human history”.
Weapons are evolving faster than our ability to defend ourselves, Zelenskyy said, adding, “Now, there are tens of thousands of people who know how to professionally kill using drones.”
“Stopping that kind of attack is harder than stopping any gun, knife or bomb, this is what Russia has brought with its war.”
Ukraine’s president admitted that in the past, only the strongest countries could afford to use drones because they were expensive and complex. However, the situation has changed, and even simple drones can now fly thousands of kilometres.
“War tech doesn’t care about geography anymore, it’s now reshaping,” he said, warning that the world is moving too slowly to protect itself.
“It’s only a matter of time before drones are fighting drones, attacking critical infrastructure and targeting people all by themselves,” he says.
“Fully autonomous and no human involved except the few who control AI systems. We are now living through the most destructive arms race in human history because this time, it includes artificial intelligence.”
Zelenskyy then called on the leaders to act now and support Ukraine in Russia’s war against his country.
He said Ukraine had no choice but to build drones “to protect our right to life”.
“The facts are simple, stopping this war now and within the global arms race is cheaper than building underground kindergartens or massive bunkers for critical infrastructure later.”
“Stopping Putin now is cheaper than trying to protect every port and every ship from terrorists with sea drones. Stopping Russia now is cheaper than wondering who will be the tourists to create a simple drone carrying a nuclear warhead,” Zelenskyy stated.
