‘Beginning of end of war’
Zelenskyy hails Kherson capture as pivotal moment
Kherson: President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said Ukraine’s recapture of Kherson marked “the beginning of the end of the war” during a surprise visit to the newly liberated city.
But the city’s “critical infrastructure” was destroyed while under the control of Russian troops, he said, leaving the population with no electricity, communications or Internet.
Nato chief Jens Stoltenberg cautioned that Ukraine was facing difficult months ahead and said that Russia’s military capability should not be underestimated.
And US President Joe Biden and his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping – a key ally of Vladimir Putin – agreed in talks Monday that nuclear weapons should never be used, including in Ukraine.
The Ukrainian presidency distributed images of Zelenskyy singing the national anthem with his hand over his chest as the country’s blue and yellow flag was hoisted next to Kherson’s main administrative building.
“This is the beginning of the end of the war,” Zelenskyy said.
“It is a long way, a difficult way, because the war took the best heroes of our country. We are ready for peace.”
He added that “the price of this war is high”.
“People are injured. A large number are dead.
“There were fierce battles, and the result is – today we are in Kherson region.”
Wearing his now-familiar army green T-shirt and speaking in Ukrainian, Zelenskyy addressed leaders including China’s Xi Jinping and US President Joe Biden at the G20 summit in Bali via video address yesterday.
Now is the time to end Russia’s “destructive” war and “save thousands of lives”, Zelenskyy told the summit.
“I am convinced now is the time when the Russian destructive war must and can be stopped,” he said, according to a speech obtained by AFP. “It will save thousands of lives.”
Russian President Vladimir Putin was not in the room, however, having shunned the gathering and sent his Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov to Bali in his place.
Russia announced Monday it banned entry to one hundred Canadians, including Jim Carrey, Margaret Atwood and several journalists, following new Canadian sanctions in October.
The Russian foreign ministry said it banned 100 people “directly involved in the formation of an aggressive anti-russian policy”.
Among them was 60-year-old actor and comedian Jim Carrey.
Margaret Atwood, the author of dystopian novel The Handmaid’s Tale, is also on the list, along with several Canadians of Ukrainian origin.
The UN General Assembly adopted on Monday a resolution supporting a mechanism for Russia to pay reparations for human and property destruction from its invasion of ukraine.
The resolution, which is non-binding, calls for creation of a framework for Russian reparations for the war which began on Feb 24 and has left well over 200,000 people on both sides dead or injured, according to US estimates.
The assembly voted 94-14 as it passed the resolution, while 63 countries abstained. — Agencies