President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelensky appealed with a demand for prosecution at all levels of each escalation step by Russia — from terrorist attacks to the criminal attempt to annex our territory.

"I want to address this appeal today to those around the world who fall for Russian manipulations about so-called negotiations. About how supposedly only negotiations can end this brutal Russian terrorist war."

Does a state that is a terrorist want peace? Clearly, it does not. It proves this every day and night.

Zaporizhzhia. One of Ukraine's cities against which Russia directs its missile terrorism. Tonight, as a result of Russian strikes on ordinary residential buildings in Zaporizhzhia, at least 14 people have died. Sadly, this number may rise. Rescue operations are still ongoing. Over 70 people were injured, including 11 children. All of them are receiving appropriate assistance.

Hundreds of families lost their homes. The strike by one missile — a heavy anti-ship cruise missile Kh-22 — on an ordinary nine-story residential building destroyed an entire entrance from the first to the sixth floor.

This was a deliberate attack. Those who gave the order and those who carried it out knew where they were hitting.

The strikes of this night continued a series of Russian missile attacks on Zaporizhzhia, which alone in just this week, from September 3rd, claimed at least 43 lives. There were also strikes on Kharkiv, on cities in the Donbas region, on other Ukrainian cities... There were Iranian drone strikes and air raids as well. The overwhelming majority of them — against our country's civilian infrastructure and civilians.

When someone wants negotiations — they do not act like this. And when someone is a terrorist — they act exactly like this.

Do negotiations really help overcome terrorism? Now everyone needs to honestly answer this question for themselves. Terrorists are neutralized.

Terrorism is a crime that must be punished. State-sponsored terrorism is one of the most heinous international crimes, threatening not just someone in the world but the entire international community.

If terrorism goes unpunished, if the terrorist manages to scare people so much that someone wants simply to close their eyes to it, then this would be a loss — a loss of freedom, a loss of humanity and a loss of democracy. This is exactly what Russia wants. For this very reason, it needs all this terror — from missile strikes to global crises provoked by the state-terrorist.

This has happened in history before. When another terrorist state was allowed to do as it pleased because a scared world feared its terrorism, World War II began.

Now the world is united. Now everyone around the world understands what Russia's war in Ukraine is really against. This is Russia’s war against all those values that make people human and life peaceful.

Ukraine is winning this war. We can liberate our entire land and put a state-terrorist in its place. Russia must be punished for terrorism. Only this guarantees that the confrontation will not escalate to an even larger scale and spread to other countries.

But for this, we need to preserve maximum unity — unity of all people around the world who value peace, respect the right to life for everyone, and are honest enough to recognize: constant terrorism against civilians is a clear refusal by Russia to genuine negotiations.

Therefore, an official recognition of Russia as a state-sponsor of terrorism — at all levels — is needed.

Restrictions on any economic contacts with any Russian entities are necessary — one cannot be sponsors of terrorism.

A clear prosecution at all levels for each escalation step by Russia — from terrorist attacks to the criminal attempt to annex our territory is needed. A corresponding resolution will soon be considered by the UN General Assembly. We will see in the voting who stands against terrorists truly.

And principled and sufficient aid to Ukraine is necessary. Aid to our people, who are targets of a state-terrorist. The provision of effective air defense systems to Ukraine must be accelerated. Negotiations on providing such air defense systems, negotiations on increasing other military, political, and financial support for Ukraine — this is the only possible negotiation format that can actually bring peace closer.

I thank everyone who helps us resist terrorism!

Thank you to all those who fight and work towards bringing back peace to Ukraine and every Ukrainian — guarantees of the right to life and security.

Eternal glory to all victims of Russian terror!

Glory to Ukraine!"