Ukraine official says Zelenskyy hopes to visit UN next month

UNITED NATIONS (AP) — Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy wants to visit the United Nations to address a high-level meeting of the 193-member General Assembly on the eve of the first anniversary of Russia’s Feb. 24 invasion of his country if the security situation permits, a senior Foreign Ministry official said.

First Deputy Foreign Minister Emine Dzhaparova cautioned in an interview Friday with The Associated Press that many factors need to be in place for him to come, citing first and foremost the military situation on the ground and a warning from Ukraine’s intelligence service that Russia is planning “a very serious offensive in February.”

“Our president would want to come, he has a will or intention to come,” she said, “but it’s still a question if there will be a security situation that will allow him to come.”

A spokesman for Ukraine’s Foreign Ministry said in a Facebook statement Saturday that no decision has been made so far on whether such a visit will indeed take place. Zelenskyy “makes visits abroad depending on the situation in Ukraine and other factors,” Oleg Nikolenko said, promising to “keep the public properly informed” about the president’s plans for foreign trips.

https://apnews.com/article/zelenskyy-politics-ukraine-government-russia-united-states-1c6994acbea1db0b952ae613ddc99523