At the same time, he said Ukraine will not allow Russian forces to regroup after they leave Kherson and said there will be more fighting until Ukraine regains control of all its occupied territories. Zelensky made his comments in a speech at a Group of 20 (G20) summit in Indonesia, where Russia’s invasion of Ukraine has been a key focus of discussion among the leaders of the world’s major economies. A day earlier he shook hands with soldiers and waved to civilians during a visit to Kherson, where he said Ukraine had gathered evidence of at least 400 war crimes committed by Russian troops, including murders and kidnappings. “I am convinced that now is the time when Russia’s destructive war must and can be stopped,” he said via video link to the summit on the island of Bali, according to a transcript of his speech checked by Reuters. He called on Russia to withdraw all its forces from Ukraine and affirm Ukraine’s territorial integrity, and said Kyiv would not jeopardize its sovereignty, territory or independence. He also called for the release of all Ukrainian prisoners. “Please choose your path of leadership – and together we will surely implement the peace formula,” he said. Kyiv also welcomed China’s comments criticizing threats to use nuclear weapons, after US President Joe Biden and Chinese President Xi Jinping met on Monday. The two leaders “underlined their opposition to the use or threat of use of nuclear weapons in Ukraine,” the White House said in a readout of the meeting in Indonesia on the eve of the G20 summit. A readout of the Biden-Xi meeting on the Chinese foreign ministry website did not use the word “nuclear” but said: “Conflicts and wars do not produce a winner … and … confrontation between major countries should be avoided.” Russian President Vladimir Putin has repeatedly suggested Russia use nuclear weapons to defend its territorial integrity, interpreted in the West as an implicit threat to use them on territory Moscow claims it has annexed from Ukraine. Xi and Putin have grown close in recent years, bonded by their shared distrust of the West, and China has refrained from publicly criticizing Russia over the invasion. Zelensky welcomed Monday’s comments, saying in a speech late Monday: “Everyone understands who these words are addressed to.” The United States expects the G20 to condemn Russia’s war in Ukraine and its impact on the global economy, a senior US official said. Russia is a member of the group, so consensus on Ukraine is unlikely, and the official declined to say what form the condemnation would take. [1/5] The results of a vote on a resolution recognizing that Russia should be responsible for reparations in Ukraine are displayed on screen at United Nations headquarters in New York, U.S., November 14, 2022. REUTERS/Eduardo Munoz Speaking in Bali, British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak said Putin’s government would listen to the chorus of global opposition to its actions. “Russia’s actions put us all at risk,” he said. Russia said Putin is too busy to attend the summit. Moscow says it is conducting a “special military operation” in Ukraine to rid it of nationalists and protect Russian-speaking communities. Ukraine and the West describe the Kremlin’s actions as an unprovoked war of aggression. Ukraine has repeatedly stated that it is ready for peace, but will not cede territory. “Ukrainian soldiers do not accept any conversation, any agreement or compromise decision,” Commander-in-Chief Valery Zaluzhny wrote on Telegram late Monday after a phone conversation with the chairman of the US Joint Chiefs of Staff Mark Milley.
“WAITING ARMY”
The city of Kherson was the only regional capital Russia had captured since the invasion in February, and Putin had declared it “eternal Russian” six weeks ago. Olga Fedorova, an English teacher in Kherson throughout the occupation, said a lack of electricity or a mobile internet connection meant many were unaware of the events until Ukrainian troops raised their flag in the central square on November 11. “We couldn’t believe, we still can’t believe that our Ukrainian army is here,” he said. “We’ve been waiting for them all this time, all these eight and a half months.” Residents in and around Kherson interviewed by Reuters since Friday have described killings and abductions. Reuters reported one account of a neighbor killed by gunfire and three reports of people being dragged away by soldiers in the village of Blahodatne north of Kherson. The accounts could not be independently verified. Russia denies that its troops have targeted civilians or committed atrocities in Ukraine. Mass graves have been found in other places previously occupied by Russian troops, including some with civilian corpses showing signs of torture. The United Nations General Assembly on Monday approved a resolution recognizing that Russia should be responsible for reparations in Ukraine, in a non-binding move supported by 94 of its 193 members. Reporting by Jonathan Landay, Lidia Kelly, Gleb Garanich, Pavel Polityuk, Ron Popeski, Joseph Campbell and Felix Hoske. Written by Stephen Coates. Edited by Rosalba O’Brien and Michael Perry Our Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.
