“I am convinced that now is the moment when Russia’s destructive war must and can be stopped,” Zelensky said in a video conference at the Group of 20 (G20) summit in Bali, Indonesia, on November 15. “It will save thousands of lives,” he said.
Live Update: Russia’s invasion of Ukraine
RFE/RL Live gives you all the latest on Russia’s ongoing invasion, Kiev’s counteroffensive, Western military aid, the global response and civilian suffering. For all of RFE/RL’s coverage of the war, click here. Zelensky said Ukraine would not allow Russian troops to regroup after pulling out of the southern strategic city of Kherson and said there would be more fighting until Ukraine regained control of all its occupied territory. The liberation of Kherson over the weekend was one of Ukraine’s biggest successes in nearly nine months since the Russian invasion began. Zelensky urged Moscow to withdraw all its forces from Ukraine and affirm Ukraine’s territorial integrity, warning that Kyiv would not jeopardize its sovereignty, territory or independence. He also called for the release of all Ukrainian prisoners. Zelensky outlined various approaches to achieving peace, including ensuring nuclear and food security, ending hostilities and preventing escalation. He slammed “the crazy threats of nuclear weapons that Russian officials are resorting to,” referring to rhetoric repeatedly used by Russian President Vladimir Putin. Zelensky thanked the G19, aptly excluding Russia, for making it clear that “there can be no excuses for nuclear blackmail.” Putin avoided the gathering and instead sent Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov to Bali. An agreement reached in July between the United Nations and Russia that allows the export of Ukrainian grain and other food products from ports blockaded by Russian warships is set to expire on November 19. Zelensky said the deal, which the UN said allowed the export of 10 million tons of grain and other food, should be extended indefinitely. “I think our grain export initiative deserves an indefinite extension — no matter when the war ends,” Zelensky said. “The right to food is a fundamental right of every human being in the world,” he said, suggesting the agreement be extended to more Ukrainian ports. Zelensky accused Moscow of “trying to turn the cold into a weapon” by launching waves of airstrikes against key infrastructure ahead of the coming winter. He also spoke in favor of a US-led push for a price ceiling on Russian oil exports “so that energy resources are no longer used as weapons”. The Ukrainian military reported early on November 15 that its forces repelled waves of Russian attacks on positions in the Donetsk region, including Bakhmut and Belohoryivka, and Novoselivske in Luhansk. According to Ukraine’s General Staff, the Russian army is hosting newly arrived reinforcements in abandoned private homes in Luhansk. The General Staff previously stated that in Luhansk, the Russian occupation forces plan to carry out a complete evacuation of the civilian population from three settlements. The Russian military is also trying to hold on to occupied territory and continues to equip defensive lines on the left bank of the Dnieper River in the Kherson region, the military said. In the parts of the Kherson region recaptured by the Ukrainian army last week, Russia destroyed “all critical infrastructure”, Zelensky said in his regular nightly speech on 14 November. Zelensky said there is no electricity, no communication and no television in Kherson, saying the retreating Russian troops destroyed everything on purpose. Earlier on November 14, Ukrainian national energy company Ukrenerho said that Russia destroyed key energy infrastructure supplying the entire right bank of the Kherson region and a significant part of the Mykolayiv region. “Most of the liberated Kherson region has been without electricity since November 6,” said Ukrainerho chief Volodymyr Kudrytsky. “We are doing our best to supply people with electricity as soon as possible.” Ukrainian commander-in-chief Valeriy Zaluzhniy said he spoke with US General Mark Milley, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, on November 14 and told him that the Ukrainian military would not accept any negotiation, agreement or compromise decision regarding the end of the war. “I assured that we will fight as long as we have the strength. Our goal is to liberate all Ukrainian land from Russian occupation,” Zaluzny said on Facebook. “There is only one condition for the negotiations: Russia must give up all the territories they have occupied.” The White House announced separately that CIA Director Bill Burns met in Ankara, Turkey with Russian intelligence chief Sergei Naryskin, head of the Foreign Intelligence Service (SVR). Burns outlined the consequences if Russia were to develop a nuclear weapon in Ukraine, according to a White House spokesman. The Kremlin confirmed that a US-Russia meeting had taken place in Ankara, but declined to give details. Russian officials have alarmed Western governments by raising the possibility of using tactical nuclear weapons after massive failures in Ukraine. With reports from Reuters, AP and BBC
