Russia-Ukraine war live news: Kherson victory marks ‘beginning of the end’ of war, Ukraine president says

Key events

G20 statement to condemn Russia’s war in Ukraine

The G20 will reportedly issue a statement at the end of the G20 summit, where “most” members will condemn Russia’s war in Ukraine.

According to a draft communique seen by Agence France-Presse, the group of 20 will deplore the economic impact of the Ukraine conflict and call for the extension of a deal with Russia expiring on Saturday that allows the export of Ukrainian grain.

I think you’re going to see most members of the G20 make clear that they condemn Russia’s war in Ukraine, that they see Russia’s war in Ukraine as the root source of immense economic and humanitarian suffering in the world,” a US official told reporters while speaking on condition of anonymity.

The statement, to be issued at the end of the summit this week in Bali, will show that the G20 is “really isolating Russia” – a member of the group of the world’s biggest economies.

The official would not say how many countries would not join the condemnation, nor how diplomats would craft the non-unanimous declaration within the document, which is issued by all member countries.

The US official said, “Russia’s war of aggression … is being condemned in the strongest possible terms.” The statement, said the official, “speaks in very clear terms”.

Zelenskiy outlines pathway to end conflict

In his address to world leaders gathered for the G20 summit in Bali on Tuesday, Volodymyr Zelenskiy outlined a series of conditions needed to end the war Ukraine.

Speaking virtually from Ukraine, he said that Russia must reaffirm the territorial integrity of Ukraine, withdraw its troops from Ukrainian territory and pay compensation for damage caused.

Zelenskiy is calling for an international conference to “cement key element of the postwar security architecture” and prevent a recurrence of “Russian aggression”.

Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelenskiy sings the national anthem during his visit in Kherson, Ukraine.
Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelenskiy sings the national anthem during his visit in Kherson, Ukraine. Photograph: Ukrainian Presidential Press Service/Reuters

“When all anti-war measures are implemented, a document confirming the end of the war should be signed by the parties.”

Throughout his speech he pointedly thanked the “G19” – excluding Russia – for making it clear that there were “no excuses for nuclear blackmail.”

Russian president Vladimir Putin was not in the room, but his foreign minister Sergei Lavrov was in attendance at the meeting in Bali.

UN calls for Russia to make reparations to Ukraine

The United Nations General Assembly has called for Russia to make reparations to Ukraine and be held accountable for its conduct.

The assembly voted to approve a resolution on Monday, supported by 94 of the assembly’s 193 members, saying Russia “must bear the legal consequences of all of its internationally wrongful acts, including making reparation for the injury, including any damage, caused by such acts.”

The resolution also recommends that member states, in cooperation with Ukraine, create an international register to record evidence and claims against Russia.

Today, the @UN General Assembly confirmed that Russia must compensate the destruction it is causing in Ukraine. #UNGA with its vote tonight recommends the establishment of a registry of damages. #Accountability

— Josep Borrell Fontelles (@JosepBorrellF) November 14, 2022

Ukrainian Ambassador Sergiy Kyslytsya used the biblical adage that “there is nothing new under the sun” as a motif throughout his remarks in presenting the resolution on Monday.

“Seventy-seven years ago, the Soviet Union demanded and received reparations, calling it a moral right of a country that has suffered war and occupation,” he said.

“Today, Russia, who claims to be the successor of the 20th century’s tyranny, is doing everything it can to avoid paying the price for its own war and occupation, trying to escape accountability for the crimes it is committing.”

Zelenskiy hailed the vote as a “diplomatic victory” in a tweet late on Monday night.

From the liberation victory in Kherson to the diplomatic victory in New York – the General Assembly has just given the green light to the creation of a compensation mechanism for Russian crimes in Ukraine. The aggressor will pay for what he did!”

From the liberation victory in Kherson to the diplomatic victory in New York – the 🇺🇳 General Assembly has just given the green light to the creation of a compensation mechanism for Russian crimes in Ukraine. The aggressor will pay for what he did!

— Володимир Зеленський (@ZelenskyyUa) November 14, 2022

Kherson victory marks ‘beginning of the end’ of war: Zelenskiy

Volodymyr Zelenskiy made a surprise visit to Kherson on Monday, saying the recapture of the southern city marked “the beginning of the end of the war”.

“We are moving forward. We are ready for peace, peace for all our country,” he said.

Zelenskiy said it was important to visit Kherson to show residents his support and to demonstrate that “we are really returning, we really raise our flag”.

He said: “I’m really happy, you can tell by the reaction of the people, their reaction is not staged.”

Volodymyr Zelenskiy visits newly liberated city of Kherson in Ukraine – video

Summary and welcome

Hello and welcome back to the Guardian’s live coverage of the war in Ukraine. I’m Samantha Lock and I’ll be bringing you all the latest developments as they unfold over the next few hours.

The United Nations General Assembly has called for Russia to make reparations to Ukraine and be held accountable for its conduct in a resolution supported by 94 of the assembly’s 193 members.

Volodymyr Zelenskiy also made a surprise visit to Kherson, saying the recapture of the southern city marked “the beginning of the end of the war”. “We are moving forward. We are ready for peace, peace for all our country,” he said.

Ukrainian authorities are scrambling to de-mine the strategic southern city of Kherson and restore power across the region after the retreating Russian army blew up all major infrastructure, leaving residents without electricity and water.

For any updates or feedback you wish to share, please feel free to get in touch via email or Twitter.

If you have just joined us, here are all the latest developments:

  • Ukraine’s president, Volodymyr Zelenskiy, has said Russian troops have “destroyed absolutely all critical infrastructure” in Kherson. “There is no electricity, no communication, no internet, no television … Russian occupiers destroyed absolutely all critical infrastructure for the people,” he said in his Monday evening address. Ukrainian national energy company Ukrenergo said Russia also destroyed key energy infrastructure in the region. “The energy facility that provided power supply to the entire right bank of the Kherson region and a significant part of the Mykolaiv region, is practically destroyed,” Ukrenergo chief Volodymyr Kudrytskyi said.

  • Zelenskiy made a surprise visit to Kherson on Monday, saying the recapture of the southern city marked “the beginning of the end of the war”. “We are moving forward. We are ready for peace, peace for all our country,” he said. Zelenskiy said it was important to visit Kherson to show residents his support and to demonstrate that “we are really returning, we really raise our flag”. He said: “I’m really happy, you can tell by the reaction of the people, their reaction is not staged.”

  • The US believes that Russian troops carried out a relatively orderly withdrawal from the city of Kherson, a senior US military official said on Monday, in contrast to some of the more chaotic retreats in the country. “We assess that it was a relatively orderly withdrawal,” the official spoke on the condition of anonymity, according to a Reuters report.

  • According to Russian media, the Ukrainian army has entered the city of Herois’ke, in the Kinburn peninsula in the southern part of Kherson, after an amphibious operation, as heavy fighting continues across the region.

  • The United Nations General Assembly has called for Russia to make reparations to Ukraine and be held accountable for its conduct. The assembly voted to approve a resolution on Monday, supported by 94 of the assembly’s 193 members, saying Russia “must bear the legal consequences of all of its internationally wrongful acts, including making reparation for the injury, including any damage, caused by such acts.” The resolution also recommends that member states, in cooperation with Ukraine, create an international register to record evidence and claims against Russia.

  • The US president, Joe Biden, and his Chinese counterpart, Xi Jinping, have reiterated their agreement that a nuclear war “should never be fought”, the White House said. Beijing’s readout from the long-awaited meeting in Bali differed slightly and did not mention the pair agreeing on opposing Russia’s threat of using nuclear weapons in the Ukraine war. However, on Sunday, Chinese premier Li Keqiang emphasised the “irresponsibility” of nuclear threats, suggesting China was uncomfortable with Russia’s nuclear rhetoric, a senior US official said.

  • Zelenskiy welcomed statements from the US and China. “This is a grouping of very weighty states. And today, on the eve of the summit, weighty statements have already been made,” he said in his Monday night video address. “In particular, it is important that the United States and China jointly highlighted that the threats of using nuclear weapons were unacceptable. Everyone understands to whom these words are addressed.”

  • CIA director, Bill Burns, met his Russian counterpart in Turkey on Monday to talk about “the consequences of the use of nuclear weapons by Russia” in a rare high-level meeting, US officials said. The meeting in Ankara with the head of Russia’s SVR foreign intelligence service, Sergei Naryshkin, followed speculation that some senior US figures would like Ukraine to enter negotiations with the Kremlin to end the war. Officials insisted the US is not engaged in secret peace talks with Moscow without Ukrainian officials being present.

  • Rishi Sunak has called Russia a “pariah state” on the eve of his first meeting of the G20 in Indonesia, where he has vowed to confront Moscow’s representative in public and on the sidelines of the summit. The UK prime minister said he would take every opportunity during the summit to confront Russia’s foreign minister, Sergei Lavrov, attending in Vladimir Putin’s absence. “Russia is becoming a pariah state and he’s [Putin] not there to take responsibility for what he’s doing,” Sunak told reporters.

  • The EU and its member states have so far provided weapons and military equipment worth a total of at least €8bn (£7bn) to Ukraine, according to the bloc’s foreign policy chief Josep Borrell.

  • A former Russian prison inmate, who defected to Ukraine after being recruited by the Kremlin-linked private military group Wagner, was reportedly executed and repeatedly struck with a sledgehammer. Footage of the summary killing of Yevgeny Nuzhin was posted over the weekend by the Wagner-linked Telegram channel Grey Zone.

A Kherson resident hugs a Ukrainian defence force member in Kherson, southern Ukraine, Monday, 14 November.
A Kherson resident hugs a Ukrainian defence force member in Kherson, southern Ukraine, Monday, 14 November. Photograph: Bernat Armangué/AP

source: theguardian.com