Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba has said that the “war goes on” after the success of retaking the city of Kherson from Russian invaders.
The Ukrainian national anthem rang out in Kherson after Moscow pulled its forces out of the city – the first major urban hub to fall after President Vladimir Putin ordered the invasion in February.
Speaking at a Southeast Asian summit in Cambodia, Mr Kuleba said the fight to liberate the country would carry on.
“We are winning battles on the ground. But the war continues,” he told reporters in Phnom Penh.
Earlier, Kuleba thanked Australia for its support – $440m (€425m) of mostly military assistance – during a bilateral meeting with Prime Minister Anthony Albanese on the sidelines of the summit.
“I understand that everyone wants this war to end as soon as possible. We are definitely the ones who want that more than anyone else,” he said during the meeting with Mr Albanese.
“But as long as the war continues, and we see Russia mobilising more conscripts and bringing more weapons to Ukraine, of course we will continue to count on your continued support.”
Australia in October pledged an extra 30 Bushmaster armoured vehicles to Ukraine and allocated 70 Australian defence personnel to train Ukrainian soldiers in Britain.
Mr Albanese said the ongoing “targeting of Ukraine civilians by Putin’s forces was reprehensible”.
White House hails Ukraine’s ‘extraordinary victory’ in Kherson
Meanwhile, the White House has hailed what it said appeared to be an “extraordinary victory” for Ukraine in recapturing the city of Kherson from Russian occupiers.
“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 as he accompanied President Joe Biden to the ASEAN summit.
Mr 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 Odesa.
“It’s a big moment and it’s due to the incredible tenacity and skill of the Ukrainians, backed by the relentless and united support of the United States and our allies,” Mr Sullivan said.
Asked about reports that the Biden administration has started to press President Volodymyr Zelensky to explore negotiations with Moscow, Mr Sullivan said that Russia, not Ukraine, was the side that has to decide whether or not to go to the table.
“This whole notion, I think, in the Western press of ‘when’s Ukraine going to negotiate?’ misses the underlying fundamentals,” Mr Sullivan said.
Russia, he added, continues to make “outlandish claims” about its self-declared annexations of Ukrainian lands, even as it retreats from Ukrainian counter-attacks.
“Ultimately, at a 30,000-foot level, Ukraine is the party of peace in this conflict and Russia is the party of war. Russia invaded Ukraine. If Russia chose to stop fighting in Ukraine and left, it would be the end of the war. If Ukraine chose to stop fighting and give up, it would be the end of Ukraine,” he said.
“In that context, our position remains the same as it has been and fundamentally is in close consultation and support of President Zelensky.”
‘War goes on’ after Kherson success
Source: Viral Trends Report
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