Volodymyr Zelensky has said that Ukraine will have to keep up with its fight against Russia to secure victory and regain all Ukrainian territory from Moscow’s forces as he addressed a high-level gathering of world leaders at the G20 summit in Bali on Tuesday.
To liberate Ukrainian land "we will have to fight for a while longer," Mr Zelensky said. On Monday the Ukrainian leader had said that the liberation of Kherson — the latest territorial victory clinched by Kyiv serving a setback to Moscow — showed that the end of the war was nearing.
Speaking at the G20 summit virtually — which he regarded as “G19” through the exclusion of Moscow — Mr Zelensky also called for a clear exit of Russia from Ukraine, by withdrawing all its troops and armed formations, to bring about the end of the war.
Mr Zelensky also proposed a peace plan to the major economies in Indonesia as he urged them to step up their leadership and stop Russia’s war against Ukraine.
"We will not allow Russia to wait out and build up its forces," he said, according to a copy of his speech.
"I am convinced that now is the time when Russia’s war must and can be stopped," Mr Zelensky said.
The wartime president said Ukraine’s “control over all sections of our state border with Russia must be restored”.
Mr Zelensky pitched a 10-point peace formula to end the war “justly and on the basis of the UN charter and international law”.
Russian foreign minister Sergei Lavrov, who headed the Moscow delegation to the summit, reportedly remained seated in the room while Mr Zelensky was speaking.
"Please, choose your path for leadership - and together we will surely implement the peace formula," Mr Zelensky said, as he called for an international conference to "cement key element of the postwar security architecture in the Euro-Atlantic space" and to prevent a recurrence of "Russian aggression".
The top Ukrainian leader also asked for restoring "radiation safety" with regard to the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant which has been the site of fierce fighting between Russian and Ukrainian troops, introducing price restrictions on Russian energy resources, and expanding a grain export initiative.
"If Russia opposes our peace formula, you will see that it only wants war," he added.
Mr Zelensky also said that his country should not be offered compromises on its conscience, sovereignty, territory and independence, saying peace talks could only begin once these had been assured.
Vladimir Putin is not attending the G20, where western leaders have said they will take a strong stance opposing the Ukraine war.
Most world leaders present in Indonesia this week have condemned Russia’s war on Ukraine and called for peaceful negotiation to end the nearly nine-month old conflict which is sending the ripples across economies now.
The majority of the G20 leaders also deplored Russia’s aggression on Ukraine in the strongest terms, according to a draft declaration which has cited the war’s impact on the global economy.
Most members of the G20 strongly condemned the war, the draft says, while noting that there were "other views" expressed at the summit.
The draft communique refers to the "war in Ukraine" but not "Russia’s war" or "invasion".
The G20 gathering also includes China and India which have previously refrained from signing up to UN resolutions condemning Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
