Saturday, November 12, 2022
Kiev has said that the West was on its way to "joint victory" over Moscow after Ukraine wrested back Kherson, the first major urban hub to fall after Russia's attacks on February 24.
"There were very few who believed that Ukraine would survive," Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba said as he met US Secretary of State Antony Blinken on the sidelines of a Southeast Asian summit in Cambodia.
Blinken hailed the "remarkable courage" of Ukraine's military and people and vowed that US support "will continue for as long as it takes" to defeat Russia.
Blinken: Ukraine will make decision on negotiations with Russia
Ukraine would decide on the timing and contents of any negotiation framework with Russia, according to a readout of Blinken's meeting with Kuleba in Phnom Penh.
Blinken also discussed the United States' commitment to assist Ukraine in mitigating the effects of Russia's attacks on critical infrastructure as winter approaches, including accelerated humanitarian aid.
"Secretary (Blinken) reiterated that the timing and contents of any negotiation framework remains Ukraine's decision," State Department spokesperson Ned Price said.
EU urges China to push Moscow to respect international law
EU chief Charles Michel has said the bloc expected China to use "all the means at its disposal" to push Moscow to respect international law, days before a G20 summit expected to be dominated by the conflict in Ukraine.
The European Council president was speaking on the sidelines of a regional summit in Cambodia, where Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba urged Southeast Asian leaders to support Kiev.
While China remains a major trading partner of the European Union, officials have repeatedly called on Beijing to publicly condemn Russia's actions — without success so far.
UK: Kherson retreat is another humiliation for Russia
Britain has said Russia's withdrawal from the only regional capital in Ukraine that it had captured since its attacks began in February was another humiliation for its army but Moscow continued to pose a threat.
"Russia's announced withdrawal from Kherson marks another strategic failure for them," British defence minister Ben Wallace said in a statement.
"In February, Russia failed to take any of its major objectives except Kherson. Now with that also being surrendered, ordinary people of Russia must surely ask themselves 'What was it all for?'," Wallace added.
Banksy unveils Ukraine mural in town bombed by Russia
Banksy, the elusive British street artist, has painted a mural on a bombed-out building outside Ukraine's capital, in what Ukrainians have hailed as a symbol of their country's invincibility.
The world-famous graffiti artist posted on Instagram three images of the artwork — a gymnast performing a handstand amid the ruins of a demolished building in the town of Borodyanka northwest of the Ukrainian capital Kiev.
The caption read, "Borodyanka, Ukraine".
Russia renewed demands over fertiliser exports at UN talks
Russia has restated its insistence on unhindered access to world markets for its food and fertiliser exports after what it called a "thorough exchange of views" with UN officials the day before in Geneva.
The statement from Moscow said Ukrainian grain shipments and "normalisation" of Russia's own farm exports were integral parts of a single package of measures to ensure global food security.
"It was confirmed that only ensuring unhindered access of Russian food and fertilisers to world markets would make it possible to achieve firm price stabilisation and guarantee the future harvest," it said.
Russia: No agreement yet to extend Black Sea grain deal
Russia has said there was no agreement yet to extend a deal allowing Ukraine to export grain via the Black Sea, repeating its insistence on unhindered access to world markets for its own food and fertiliser exports.
Deputy Foreign Minster Sergei Vershinin was quoted by state news agency TASS as saying talks with UN officials in Geneva had been useful and detailed but the issue of renewing the deal — which expires in one week — had yet to be resolved.
He also said there could be no progress unless a Russian state bank that finances the farm sector was reconnected to the international SWIFT bank payments system, from which it has been cut off by Western sanctions.
Ukrainian police, TV broadcasts return to Kherson
Ukrainian police officers have returned, along with TV and radio services, to the southern city of Kherson following the withdrawal of Russian troops, part of fast but cautious efforts to make the only regional capital captured by Russia livable. Yet one official still described the city as “a humanitarian catastrophe.”
The Ukrainian military said it was overseeing “stabilisation measures” around the city to make sure it was safe.
The national police chief of Ukraine, Ihor Klymenko, said that about 200 officers were at work in the city, setting up checkpoints and documenting evidence of possible war crimes.
Türkiye committed to dialogue in Ukraine conflict - Erdogan
Türkiye is committed to seeking a peace dialogue between Russia and Ukraine, President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has told reporters after his visit to Uzbekistan, where he attended the 9th Summit of the Organization of Turkic States.
Erdogan said the "most important" thing for Türkiye is to operate the Ankara-brokered grain corridor deal, and to mediate between Russia and Ukraine towards peace.
It would be the right decision for parties to extend the Black Sea grain export deal, which is due to expire on November 19, the Turkish leader said, adding that "it would be wrong to put a time limit there".
Ukraine FM: Moscow playing 'hunger games' with world
Ukraine's Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba has accused Moscow of playing “hunger games” with the world by holding up shipments of Ukrainian grain and other agricultural products.
Kuleba told reporters on the sidelines of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) summit that with the grain and fertiliser export deal due to expire on November 19, the world needed to pressure Russia not to object to its extension.
More than just continuing the deal, however, Kuleba accused Russian inspectors of “quiet sabotage", saying they were intentionally dragging their feet in allowing shipments through.
Ukraine works to stabilise Kherson after Russian pullout
The Ukrainian military has carried out “stabilisation measures” near the southern city of Kherson following the retreat of Russian forces that cast a further pall on Moscow's designs to take over large parts of Ukraine.
The General Staff of Ukraine's armed forces said Russia was fortifying its battle lines on the river's eastern bank after abandoning the capital. About 70 percent of the Kherson region remains under Russian control.
Ukraine's foreign minister said that the West was on its way to "joint victory" over Russia as he hailed military aid for making the recapture of Kherson possible.
Ukraine commander: Military welcomed in Kherson area
Ukraine's national anthem rang out in the centre of Kherson, as President Volodymyr Zelenskyy declared the city to be "ours" after Russia announced the completion of its withdrawal from the regional capital.
"We see children running to meet us and greeting us," said Andriy Zholob, the commander of a medical unit currently about 50 kilometres from Kherson. "We see attractive, smiling faces, flowers, embroidered towels which we display on our vehicles," he added.
Ukraine's parliament published a video of the anthem being played on a central square in Kherson and a small crowd of people, huddled around a bonfire in the dark of the night singing along before the camera zoomed in on a Ukrainian flag flying from a government building. "The Ukrainian anthem in the centre of Kherson," said the caption to the video, published on social media.
US hails Ukraine's 'extraordinary victory' in Kherson
The White House has hailed what it said appeared to be an "extraordinary victory" for Ukraine in recapturing the city of Kherson from Russian forces.
"It does look as though the Ukrainians have just won an extraordinary victory where the one regional capital that Russia had seized in this war is now back under a Ukrainian flag -- and that is quite a remarkable thing," National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan told reporters in Cambodia.
Sullivan was speaking after Ukrainian troops entered the city. Sullivan said that the Russian retreat would have "broader strategic implications," including relieving the longer-term threat by Russia to other southern Ukrainian cities such as Odessa.
For live updates from Friday (November 11), click here
