'Putin Isn't Going to Stop with Ukraine,' Admiral Mullen

Admiral Michael Mullen, 17th Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, talks about rising global geopolitical tensions.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy called on the world leaders to support Moldova in the face of Russia’s alleged attempts to influence its parliamentary election on Sunday.

“Georgia is dependent on Russia, and for many many years Belarus has been moving toward dependence on Russia,” Zelenskiy said in a speech to the United Nations General Assembly in New York on Wednesday. “Europe cannot afford to lose Moldova too.”

The small country, sandwiched between war-torn Ukraine and the European Union and NATO member state Romania, is a key battleground between pro-European and pro-Russian political forces. The Sept. 28 election comes less than a year after a referendum on whether Moldova should pursue EU membership passed by a wafer-thin margin amid claims by the government of Kremlin interference.

Bloomberg reported this week that Russia has devised a plan to intervene in elections in Moldova and disrupt the government’s efforts to keep the country on the path toward European Union membership.

The multi-pronged strategy was finalized in spring and coordinated directly by the Kremlin. The goal is to undermine the chances of President Maia Sandu’s Party of Action and Solidarity in the Sept. 28 vote and ultimately see her removed from power, the documents citing the internal Russian plans suggest.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy told global leaders Wednesday that the world is in “the most destructive arms race in human history” and urged the international community to act against Russia now, asserting that Vladimir Putin wants to expand his war in Europe.

In a bleak view of today’s world, he told the annual high-level meeting of the U.N. General Assembly that weak international institutions including the United Nations haven’t been able to stop wars in Ukraine, Gaza, Sudan and elsewhere, and international law can’t help nations survive.

“Weapons decide who survives,” the Ukrainian leader said. “There are no security guarantees except friends and weapons.”

Zelenskyy spoke from the podium of the vast assembly chamber a day after he met with President Donald Trump, who expressed support for Ukraine’s efforts and criticized Russia. Trump said Tuesday that he believed Ukraine could win back all territory lost to Russia, a dramatic shift from the U.S. leader’s repeated calls for Kyiv to make concessions to end the war sparked by President Vladimir Putin's February 2022 invasion of its smaller neighbor.

Zelenskyy did not comment on the surprise U.S. pivot, saying only that he had “a good meeting” with Trump and with many other “strong leaders."

"Together, we can change a lot,” he said, expressing appreciation for support from the United States. and Europe and urging all U.N. member nations to condemn Russia while it “keeps dragging this war on.”

If Putin isn't stopped now, the Ukrainian president warned the assembly that he will keep driving the war forward, “wider and deeper.”

“Ukraine is only the first, and now Russian drones are already flying across Europe, and Russian operations are already spreading across countries,” he said.

Worries about Moldova

Zelenskyy said neighboring Moldova is defending itself again from Russian interference and should not be allowed to move toward dependency on Russia as Georgia and Belarus are. “Europe cannot afford to lose Moldova, too,” he said, stressing that the country needs funding and energy support, not just “political gestures.”

Since Russia invaded Ukraine, Zelenskyy said, weapons and especially drones “are evolving faster than our ability to defend ourselves.”

While drones previously were used by major countries, he said, “Now, ther

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