One of the surprises in the speech was Zelensky’s call for a new international body.
He suggested it should be called “U24” or “United for Peace” and would, in theory, act to stop conflicts immediately.
Whatever the desirability of such an idea, there is no real chance of it being created amid the current crisis, when there is plenty of other international activity going on. Biden is headed to Brussels next week for an extraordinary meeting of NATO members. He will also meet European Union leaders while overseas.
But Zelensky’s proposal may have had another purpose: It distracted from any new scrutiny on the central issue of whether Ukraine could join NATO in the medium-term.