G20 urged to adopt Ukraine’s peace proposal

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy urged world leaders to back a plan to end the war in his country, saying now was the time to push for peace after Russia’s defeat in the southern city of Kherson.

At the same time, he said Ukraine would not allow Russian forces to regroup after their withdrawal from Kherson, and said there would be more fighting until Ukraine reclaims control of all of its occupied territory.

Zelenskiy made his remarks in a speech to a Group of 20 (G20) summit in Indonesia, where Russia’s invasion of Ukraine was a key focus of discussion among leaders of the world’s major economies.

A day earlier he shook hands with soldiers and waved to civilians during a visit to Kherson, where he said Ukraine had gathered evidence of at least 400 war crimes committed by Russian troops including killings and abductions.

“I am convinced now is the time when the Russian destructive war must and can be stopped,” he said via video link to the summit on the island of Bali, according to a copy of his speech reviewed by Reuters.

He called for Russia to withdraw all its forces from Ukraine and reaffirm Ukraine’s territorial integrity, and said Kyiv would not compromise its sovereignty, territory or independence. He also called for all Ukrainian prisoners to be released.

“Please choose your path for leadership — and together we will surely implement the peace formula,” he said.

Kyiv also welcomed Chinese comments criticising threats to use nuclear weapons, after US President Joe Biden and Chinese President Xi Jinping met on Monday.

The two leaders “underscored their opposition to the use or threat of use of nuclear weapons in Ukraine,” the White House said in a readout of the meeting in Indonesia on the eve of the G20 summit.

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