Zelenskiy holds flurry of bilateral meetings at UN to shore up support for Ukraine

Volodymyr Zelenskiy President of Ukraine addresses the "Summit of the Future" in the General Assembly Hall of the United Nations Headquarters in New York City, U.S., September 23, 2024. Caitlin Ochs/File photo

KYIV - Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelenskiy, who is in New York for the meeting of world officials at the United Nations, held talks on the sidelines with German, Indian and Japan leaders on Monday trying to shore up support for Kyiv's war efforts.

"We talked about how to make a just peace closer," Zelenskiy said on his Telegram messaging app after meeting with German Chancellor Olaf Scholz. "The main thing is to maintain unity."

Germany has been one of most significant backers in Europe of Kyiv's defensive fight against Russia.

The full-scale Russia invasion of Ukraine, or "special military operation" as Moscow calls it, began in Feb 2022 and has killed thousands of people, uprooted millions more and turned Ukrainian towns and cities into rubble.

After the U.N. General Assembly sessions, Zelenskiy is to travel later in the week to Washington to present his "victory plan" and influence White House policy on the war no matter who wins the U.S. election on Nov. 5.

Zelenskiy said that he also met with India's Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

"We are dynamically developing our relations," he said on the Telegram after the meeting.

Reuters reported earlier this month that artillery shells sold by Indian arms makers were diverted by European customers to Ukraine and New Delhi did not intervene to stop the trade despite protests from Moscow,

India has warm ties with Russia, its primary arms supplier for decades, and Prime Minister Narendra Modi has refused to join the Western-led sanctions regime against Moscow.

Zelenskiy also held talks with Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida on Japan's energy aid to Kyiv.

"Restoring our energy supply after Russian shelling and preparing for winter are tasks we are actively working on now," Zelenskiy said in a post on the Telegram messaging app. "Together with Prime Minister Fumio Kishida, we discussed the situation in the energy sector."

Japan has been one of several nations sending support, including $4.5 billion this year, according to the Japanese foreign ministry website.

Japan has provided Kyiv with equipment for restoration work and increasing the capacity of the Ukrainian power system to get through winter amidst Russia's continued strikes on energy infrastructure.

Ukraine's electricity supply shortfall could reach about a third of expected peak demand amid the attacks and the expiry of a gas supply contract at the end of this year, the International Energy Agency said in a report last week.

-(Reuters)