Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky hailed the Russian withdrawal from Kherson as the “beginning of the end of the war” on Monday, as he lauded soldiers in the recently liberated southern city. The retaking of Kherson after a grinding offensive that forced Russia to pull back its forces from the city was one of Ukraine’s biggest success so far of the nearly nine-month invasion. Read FRANCE 24’s live blog for all the latest developments. All times are Paris time (GMT+1).
6:53am: Most G20 members strongly condemn war in Ukraine, draft declaration says
A draft of a declaration by leaders of the Group of 20 (G20) major economies, seen by Reuters on Tuesday, strongly condemned the war in Ukraine and stressed it was exacerbating fragilities in the global economy.
“There were other views and different assessments of the situation and sanctions,” said the draft declaration, which was confirmed by a European diplomat. The declaration has yet to be adopted.
“Recognising that the G20 is not the forum to resolve security issues, we acknowledge that security issues can have significant consequences for the global economy,” it said.
6:07am: Zelensky urges G20 to adopt Ukraine’s peace plan
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky on Tuesday called on the G20 major economies meeting in Indonesia to step up their leadership and stop Russia’s war in his country under a peace plan he has proposed.
“We will not allow Russia to wait out and build up its forces,” he said via videolink to the summit on the Indonesia island of Bali, according to a copy of his speech reviewed by Reuters.
“I am convinced that now is the time when Russia’s war must and can be stopped.”
Ukrainian forces have been making advances in recent weeks against Russian troops in the east and south, recapturing last week the city of Kherson, the only regional capital Russia had captured since the February invasion.
5:48am: Residents of Kherson celebrate their freedom
FRANCE 24’s Luke Shrago reports from the city of Kherson, where locals are celebrating the Russian withdrawal.
Many residents do not have heating or running water but they are relieved that the Russian occupation is over.
4:04am: Macron calls for Paris and Beijing to work together on Ukraine
French President Emmanuel Macron and China’s leader Xi Jinping shook hands as they began discussions on the sidelines of the G20 summit, which is expected to pile pressure on Russia over its invasion of Ukraine and address the global fallout from the war.
We must “unite forces to respond… to international crises like Russia’s war in Ukraine”, Macron told Xi.
On Monday, the French presidency said Macron would tell the Chinese president it was in “your interest” to pressure Russia to return to the negotiating table over the Ukraine conflict.
Xi meanwhile made no mention of the conflict in his opening remarks, calling more broadly for the two countries to “uphold the spirits of independence, autonomy, openness and cooperation”.
The pair met a day after Xi held marathon talks with US President Joe Biden, with the leaders vowing to prevent their rivalry from spilling over into outright conflict.
3:46am: European leader calls on world, China to pressure Russia
The European Council president urged global powers Tuesday to intensify pressure on Russia over its war against Ukraine, including Moscow’s biggest supporter, China, saying that this week’s meeting of the world’s largest economies was crucial to stopping Moscow’s push “to use food and energy as weapons”.
Charles Michel, speaking to reporters on the first day of the Group of 20 meeting in Bali, said the nine-month war waged by Russia, a permanent member of the UN Security Council, has disrupted lives across the world, as food and energy prices surge and economies stagnate.
“Russia’s war impacts us all, no matter where we live, from Europe to Africa or the Middle East, and the single best way to end the acute crisis in food and energy is for Russia to end this senseless war and to respect the UN charter,” Michel said. “The Kremlin has decided to weaponise food, driving up hunger, poverty and instability.”
(FRANCE 24 with AFP, AP and REUTERS)
