Ukraine pleads for weapons, war in spotlight at G20 meeting

Vladimir Putin declared sanctions against Russia in protest of the February invasion. This signaled that the Kremlin was not willing to compromise.

Sergei Lavrov was his top diplomat. He clashed with his Western counterparts during a G20 meeting held in Indonesia. They urged Russia to allow Ukraine's blockaded grain to be shipped out to an ever-hungering world.

The Russian envoy to Britain offered no prospect of a pullback in parts of Ukraine that were under Russian control.

Andrei Kelin, Ambassador to Russia, told Reuters that Russian troops would seize the remainder of Donbas in eastern Ukraine and are unlikely to withdraw from the land along the southern coast.

He said that Ukraine would have to reach a peace agreement or "continue sliding down this hill to ruin".

Ukrainian officials said that Russian forces had shelled many villages and towns in Donbas' eastern region, amidst the expected push for additional territory.

A Ukrainian infantry unit was on the road to Siversk and its members spoke to Reuters. They had established positions at the edge of a deep-earth bunker, covered with logs, sandbags, and defended with machine guns.

The deputy prime minister of Ukraine urged residents to flee from the Russian-occupied Kherson and Zaporizhzhia areas in the south before Ukrainian forces launch a counter-offensive.

"Please leave, our army will start retaking these places. Our determination is unwavering. Ukrainian media quoted Iryna Vereshchuk as saying that it would be difficult to open humanitarian corridors later when children are involved.

Reuters was unable to independently verify the authenticity of battlefield accounts.

Volodymyr Zelenskiy, the Ukrainian President, spent the day at Dnipro's hospital treating soldiers and touring defenses in Dnipropetrovsk (and Kriviy Rih) regions.

Mykhailo Podolyak was the chief negotiator for Ukraine in stalled negotiations with Moscow. He stated that Russia's military was forced to stop operations due to losses and to resupply.

"It is obvious that they must redeploy, bring forward new troops, weaponry, and that this is very good. We are proving that we will attack command centers and storage facilities," Podolyak stated to Ukraine's 24 Channel television. "This is a turning point."

Ambassador Kelin's comments gave insight into Russia's possible endgame, a forced partition which would see its former Soviet neighbor stripped of more than a fifth its post-Soviet land.

Kelin stated that an escalation in the war was possible.

According to Ukrainian officials, the comments of the deputy commander outside Siversk's infantry unit, they need more Western high-grade weapons to strengthen their defenses.

On Friday, U.S. President Joe Biden signed an additional $400 million weapons package for Ukraine. It included four new high mobility artillery missile systems (HIMARS), and more ammunition.

Zelenskiy thanked Biden on Twitter for the HIMARS shells and shells. He stated that they were top priorities.

After Russia promised that it wouldn't use the precision rocket weapons system, the United States began providing them to Ukraine. The HIMARS has been credited with victories in battle by Kyiv.

Oleksiy Danilov (secretary of the National Security and Defence Council) told Reuters that the Russian war machine could immediately feel the effect of their arrival. He said that more Western military aid was essential.

The U.S. Secretary Of State Antony Blinken led the efforts to press Russia at the G20 meeting of foreign ministers. On Saturday, he met with Wang Yi, China's foreign secretary, and reiterated his warnings to Beijing to not support Russia's war.

Friday's meeting was ended by Lavrov, who denounced the West for its "frenzied criticism"

G20 is concerned about the ability to get grain shipments from Ukraine through ports that are blocked by Russia's presence at the Black Sea and mines. Aid agencies warn that Ukraine is a major exporter and many developing countries will face food shortages if supplies are not received.

A Western official stated that Blinken had urged Russia not to allow the Ukrainian grain out.

"Ukraine isn't your country. Its grain does not belong to you. Why are you blocking ports? The official quoted Blinken as saying, "You should let the grain out."

Russia launched in February a special operation to demilitarize Ukraine. Cities have been bombed to ruins, thousands of people have been killed and millions have been displaced since then.

According to the Western allies of Ukraine, Russia is involved in an unprovoked land grab.

Russian forces have taken large swathes of territory in Ukraine's south. They are now waging war on the Donbas, an eastern industrial heartland that includes Luhansk and Donetsk regions.

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