Russian forces destroyed critical infrastructure in the city of Kherson before fleeing, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said today, referring to communication networks, water supply, heat and electricity.
In a video address, Zelensky said that Ukrainian troops have taken control of more than 60 settlements in the Kherson region and are carrying out stabilization measures in the city itself, reports Reuters.
Ukraine will choose the time and content of any peace negotiations with Russia, it was announced after the meeting of the United States Secretary of State, Anthony Blinken, with the Ukrainian Minister of Foreign Affairs, Dmytro Kuleb.
Blinken stressed that the US remains steadfastly committed to Ukraine, particularly in mitigating the effects of Russian attacks on critical infrastructure as winter approaches, Reuters reports.
Blicken also announced faster humanitarian aid to that country.
As a reminder, the Washington Post announced last Sunday that the Biden administration is privately encouraging Ukrainian leaders to show openness to negotiations with Russia, and to drop their public refusal to engage in them.
Russia has announced that there is no agreement yet on extending the agreement that would allow Ukraine to export grain across the Black Sea, reports Reuters.
From the Kremlin, they repeated their demands for unhindered access to world markets in order to facilitate the export of food and fertilizer.
Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs Sergej Vershinin told the state news agency TASS that yesterday's talks with United Nations officials were useful and detailed, but that the issue of renewing the agreement, which expires in a week, remains to be resolved.
The Russians have repeatedly complained that grain and fertilizer shipments, although not covered by the sanctions, are practically blocked because the sanctions limit access to freight forwarders, insurance and ports.
European Council President Charles Michel today called on China to "use all means" to persuade Russia to respect international law, days before a summit of the Group of 20 industrialized and developing countries (G20) dedicated to the conflict in Ukraine.
"We encourage the Chinese authorities to use all means at their disposal to persuade Russia to respect the internationally recognized borders and to respect the sovereignty of Ukraine," Michel told AFP.
The high-ranking European official is in Phnom Penh, where today and tomorrow he is participating in the summit of leaders of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN). Michelle then travels to the Indonesian island of Bali for the G20 summit, which will be attended by Chinese President Xi Jinping.
"It is important at this brutal moment in human history that there is international cooperation and the G20 will be another opportunity to look each other in the eye," Michel said, adding that cooperation is needed with countries that have different political views, but at least believe that international law should be protected.
Since the start of the Russian invasion of Ukraine at the end of February, EU leaders have called on China several times to publicly condemn Russia's actions, but so far without success.
Ukrainian police and public service returned to the recently liberated city of Kherson.
The head of the National Police of Ukraine, Ihor Klimenko, wrote today that around 200 police officers are on the ground in the city today, setting up checkpoints and documenting evidence of possible war crimes.
They also work on demining surfaces, and one deminer was injured while working in the administrative building, Klimenko wrote.
Ukraine's communications monitoring service announced that Ukrainian public service and radio are being broadcast again in the city.
Advisor to the mayor of Kherson, Roman Holovnja, told the media that humanitarian aid has started arriving from the neighboring Nikolaev area.
He called the situation in the city a "humanitarian disaster".
As he stated, the people who remained in the city do not have water, medicine and food.
British Defense Secretary Ben Wallace said Russia's withdrawal from the city of Kherson was "another strategic failure" by Moscow.
"Russia failed to achieve any of its main goals in February, except for the capture of Kherson. Now that Kherson has also been handed over to the Ukrainians," Wallace said, according to Reuters.
The British minister said that Great Britain and the international community will continue to support Ukraine.
The President of Turkey, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, said today that the extension of the agreement on the export of grain from Ukrainian Black Sea ports would be the right decision.
The existing agreement expires on November 19, the Anadolu Agency reminded.
"I think it would be wrong to put a time limit there," Erdogan told reporters.
On July 22, Turkey, the United Nations, Russia and Ukraine signed an agreement in Istanbul on the continuation of grain exports from three Ukrainian Black Sea ports, which was interrupted due to the Russian invasion of Ukraine.
All parties are currently negotiating a possible extension and expansion after the expiration of the previous agreement, and Erdogan said that Turkey is determined to transport Russian grain and fertilizer to less developed countries.
He added that the most important thing for Turkey is the implementation of the agreement on the grain corridor and mediation between Russia and Ukraine in the direction of establishing peace.
"Of course, the goal of Russian President Vladimir Putin is to direct transport to poor African countries, especially Mali, Somalia and Sudan. He made me an offer to send them grain for free. As soon as such a step is taken, we can show the same kind of sensibility," he said. Turkish President.
Emphasizing that it would not be fair to leave Africa aside and send grain only to Europe, Erdogan said that it is important to ensure intensive transportation of grain, fertilizers and ammonia to poor countries.
Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba called on Southeast Asian countries to take all possible measures to ensure that Russia does not play "hunger games" in connection with the delivery of Ukrainian grain to the world market.
Kuleba said on the sidelines of the ASEAN summit that Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov did not ask for a meeting with him, reports Reuters.
He also emphasized that Russia must approach all negotiations in good faith.
Two hundred and sixty-two is the day of the Russian invasion of Ukraine.
The entry of Ukrainian soldiers into Kherson, after the withdrawal of Russian troops, is a historic day, said the President of Ukraine, Volodymyr Zelensky.
"Our people, our Kherson," Zelensky wrote in a Telegram post.
Zelenskiy's announcement states that the retreat routes of the Russian occupiers are under direct fire from the Ukrainian army, reports Radio Free Europe.
Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba wrote on Twitter that Ukraine has achieved another important victory and proves that it will win no matter what Russia says or does.
A member of the Kherson regional council, Sergey Klan, said that the Ukrainian flag was raised in the city.
The Russian Ministry of Defense announced that the withdrawal from the city and region of Kherson was complete and that no military equipment remained.
"A total of more than 30 Russian soldiers, around five thousand pieces of hardware, military equipment and materials were withdrawn," the ministry announced.
The clan said that some Russian soldiers could not leave the city and that they changed into civilian clothes.
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