Now is the time to press Russia for peace, Zelenskiy says

Volodymyr Zelenskiy, the Ukrainian president, urged world leaders on Tuesday (15 November) to support a plan for ending the war in his country. He said now was the right time to push for peace following Russia's defeat at Kherson in the south.

He also stated that Ukraine would not allow Russian forces in its territory to regroup following their withdrawal from Kherson.

Zelenskiy spoke at a G20 summit in Indonesia. There, Russia's invasion of Ukraine was a major topic of discussion among the leaders of the world’s largest economies.

He had met soldiers the day before and waved to civilians as he visited Kherson. There, he stated that he had seen evidence of 400 war crimes by Russian troops in Ukraine.

According to Reuters, he stated that he was convinced that the Russian destructive war must be stopped at this moment. This was via video link from the summit on Bali.

He demanded Russia withdraw its troops from Ukraine and to reaffirm Ukraine’s territorial integrity. Kyiv also stated that it would not compromise Ukraine's sovereignty, territory, or independence. He called for the release of all Ukrainian prisoners.

He said, "Please choose your leadership path - together we will surely implement peace formula."

After U.S. President Joe Biden's meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping on Monday, Kyiv welcomed comments from China criticizing threats to use nukes.

"The two leaders underscored their opposition against the use or threat to use of nuclear weapons by Ukraine," the White House stated in a readout from the meeting held in Indonesia just before the G20 summit.

The China's foreign ministry website posted a readout of the Biden Xi meeting. It did not use the word "nuclear", but stated: "Conflicts or wars do not produce a winner... and... confrontation among major countries must be avoided."

Russian President Vladimir Putin repeatedly suggested that Russia could use nukes to defend its territorial integrity. This was interpreted by the West as an implicit threat of using them over land Moscow claims to have annexed to Ukraine.

Xi and Putin have become closer in recent years due to their mutual distrust of the West. China has not publicly criticised Russia for the invasion.

Zelenskiy was happy Monday's remarks were received and said in a late Monday address: "Everyone understands who these words are addressed to."

A senior US official stated that the United States expected the G20 to condemn Russia's war in Ukraine and its effect on the global economy.

Russia is a member group, so consensus on Ukraine seems unlikely. The official also declined to specify what form of condemnation he would issue.

Rishi Sunak, British Prime Minister, stated that Putin's government would be heard by the chorus global opposition to his actions in Bali.

He said that Russia's actions "put all of us in danger".

Russia claims Putin is too busy for the summit.

Moscow claims it is conducting a "special military operations" in Ukraine to eliminate nationalists and protect Russian speaking communities. The Kremlin's actions are described by the West and Ukraine as an unprovoked act of aggression.

Ukraine repeatedly stated that it is ready to make peace but would not give up territory.

After a phone conversation with Mark Milley, chairman of the U.S. Joint Chiefs of Staff, Commander-in-Chief Valery Zalazhny posted on Telegram that Ukraine's servicemen would not accept compromises or talks.

"WAITING FOR ARMY"

Kherson City was the only regional capital that Russia had captured since February's invasion. Putin declared it "eternally Russian" six weeks before.

Olga Fedorova was an English teacher in Kherson during the occupation. She said that many people were unaware of the events until the Ukrainian troops raised the flag on Nov. 11.

She said, "We couldn’t believe it, and we still can’t believe that our Ukrainian Army is here." "We have waited for them all these eight and a quarter months."

Russia denies that its troops have attacked civilians in Ukraine and has committed atrocities there. In other areas occupied previously by Russian troops, mass burials have been discovered. Some even contained civilian bodies that showed signs of torture.

Monday's vote by the United Nations General Assembly to approve a resolution recognizing that Russia must pay reparations to Ukraine was non-binding and supported by 94 of its 193 member countries.

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