---
title: "Zelensky at the UN Podium: \"We Need Peace Before AI Starts Deciding the Outcome of the War on Its Own\""
description: "At the UN General Assembly, Zelensky stated that the war in Ukraine must be ended before AI begins making independent decisions on the battlefield, and called on the world to slow down the development of combat weapons."
date: 2026-09-23T19:50:00.000Z
lang: en
url: https://xab.info/en/posts/zelensky-un-ai-battlefield
tags: [zelensky, un-ga, artificial-intelligence, ukraine-war, military-tech]
publisher: "XAB.info"
---

# Zelensky at the UN Podium: "We Need Peace Before AI Starts Deciding the Outcome of the War on Its Own"

![Volodymyr Zelenskyy in a black shirt sits in an office, with elements of the interior visible in the background, including a green chair and shelves with awards.](https://xab.info/media/2026/09/24/zelenskiy-oon-ii-na-pole-boya/zelenskiy-oon-ii-na-pole-boya-1.webp)

## 🎯 Key Points

- Zelensky declared at the UN podium that AI may begin making independent decisions on the battlefield as early as next year
- The president called on the international community to slow down the development of weapons and technologies designed to kill people
- Kyiv confirmed its readiness for an energy ceasefire with Russia and expressed hope to end the war by winter with Trump's involvement
- There is a discrepancy in the sources regarding the specific year (2025 vs. "next year")

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, speaking from the podium of the UN General Assembly in New York, stated that the war against Ukraine must be ended before artificial intelligence begins making decisions on the battlefield independently. According to the head of state, there is already a "real probability" that as early as next year the control of combat operations will shift from humans to algorithms, and it is precisely for this reason that the international community must act immediately, rather than waiting for a breakthrough technological threshold.

### Statement at the UN Podium

Addressing the leaders of the world, Zelensky emphasized that the rapid development of military technologies and the latest weapons systems requires immediate attention from the international community. "As early as next year, there is a real probability that decisions on the battlefield will be made by artificial intelligence, not only by humans. We need peace before we reach that point," the president declared, as reported by Ukrainian media outlets that broadcast his speech.

### Call to Slow Down Weapons Development

In addition to warning about the risks of autonomous combat systems, Zelensky appealed to world leaders to slow down the development of weapons and technologies designed to kill people. In his words, these processes must be contained before AI gains even broader capabilities for conducting combat operations, transforming from a tool into an independent "participant" in the conflict.

### Energy Ceasefire and Hopes for Peace

In the same context, Zelensky reminded that Ukraine is ready for a so-called "energy ceasefire" with Russia: Kyiv is prepared to stop strikes on Russian energy facilities on the condition that Moscow also halts attacks on Ukrainian energy infrastructure. The president also expressed hope that, with the involvement of US President Donald Trump, the war could be ended by winter.

### Contradictory Data

Publications from different outlets show discrepancies regarding the specific year to which Zelensky attributes the transition to autonomous AI decision-making. The main text of the speech frames the threat as "as early as next year," which, given the current date of September 2026, refers to 2027. However, a number of headlines (in particular, in materials from novosti.ua) pin this threat to "as early as 2025." Thus, two versions coexist in open sources: either the reference is to the nearest calendar year relative to the moment of the speech, or the specific year 2025 was named in an earlier version of the statement. A precise pinning to a year cannot be unambiguously confirmed based on the available materials.

### Significance of the Statement

Zelensky's speech at the UN General Assembly marks a new vector in the public discourse on ending the war: the argumentation is shifting from purely diplomatic and humanitarian arguments to a technological one — that further escalation in the context of autonomous AI could become irreversible for humanity. The call to "slow down" the development of combat AI effectively amounts to a demand for international negotiations on the regulation of military algorithms, which had not previously been voiced in such an explicit form on the UN platform.

## 🔍 Fact-Check Verification

- [Zelensky: AI may begin making decisions in the war as early as next year](https://www.rbc.ua/ukr/news/zelenskiy-shi-mozhe-pochati-uhvalyuvati-rishennya-1790192555.html) - Подтверждает суть заявления и формулировку «в следующем году»
- [Zelensky at the UN: We need peace before "that point"](https://korrespondent.net/ukraine/4914351-zelenskyi-v-oon-nam-nuzhen-myr-do-etoi-tochky) - Подтверждает контекст выступления на Генассамблее ООН и цитату
- [Zelensky: peace is needed before AI starts deciding the outcome of the war on its own](https://zn.ua/WORLD/zelenskij-mir-nuzhen-do-toho-kak-ii-nachnet-samostojatelno-reshat-iskhod-vojny.html) - Подтверждает тезис о самостоятельном решении ИИ
- [AI may begin making decisions in the war as early as next year — Zelensky](https://novosti.ua/politics/zelenskiy-predupredil-o-riske-primeneniya-ii-v-voyne-uzhe-v-2025-godu) - В заголовке указана привязка к 2025 году, что расходится с формулировкой «следующий год» относительно текущей даты 2026

## ❓ FAQ

### Q: What exactly did Zelensky declare at the UN General Assembly about AI?
**A:** He stated that as early as next year there is a real probability that decisions on the battlefield will be made by artificial intelligence, not only by humans, and called for achieving peace before that point.

### Q: What appeal did Zelensky address to world leaders?
**A:** The president called for slowing down the development of weapons and technologies designed to kill people, before AI gains broader capabilities for conducting combat operations.

### Q: Is Kyiv ready for an energy ceasefire?
**A:** Yes, Zelensky stated that Ukraine is ready to stop strikes on Russian energy facilities on the condition that Russia also halts attacks on Ukrainian energy infrastructure.

### Q: Are there contradictions in the dates between sources?
**A:** Yes: the main text frames the threat as "next year," while the novosti.ua headline pins it to 2025. A precise pinning to a year based on open materials is ambiguous.