Now is the time to end Russia's “destructive” war and “save thousands of lives”, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky told the G20 summit in Bali via video address on Tuesday.

Ukraine faces difficult months ahead and Russia’s military capability should not be underestimated, Nato secretary general Jens Stoltenberg said yesterday, as President Volodymyr Zelensky visited the newly recaptured southern city of Kherson.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy on Sunday accused Russian soldiers of committing war crimes and killing civilians in Kherson, parts of which were retaken by Ukraine's army last week after Russia pulled out.

Russian forces destroyed key infrastructure in Ukraine’s southern city of Kherson before fleeing, President Volodymyr Zelensky said, as his counterparts in Russia and Iran vowed to deepen economic, political and trade ties.

Kyiv said yesterday that the West was on its way to “joint victory” over Moscow after Ukraine said it had wrested back Kherson, the first major urban hub to fall after Russia’s invasion on February 24.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky on Friday said the southern city of Kherson was "ours" after Russia announced its withdrawal was complete.

Ukraine said yesterday its forces were entering the southern city of Kherson and hailed an “important victory” after Russia announced its troops had retreated from the only regional capital it has captured after nearly nine months fighting.

Ukraine said Friday its forces were entering the southern city of Kherson after Russia announced its troops had retreated to defensive positions on the eastern bank of the Dnipro river.

Ukrainian troops advanced in the south yesterday after Moscow began one of the war’s biggest retreats, though Kyiv remained publicly wary, warning that fleeing Russians could turn Kherson into a “city of death”.

Russian Defence Minister Sergei Shoigu on Wednesday ordered his troops to withdraw from the west bank of the Dnipro River in the face of Ukrainian attacks near the southern city of Kherson.

Russia's invasion of Ukraine has distracted world governments from efforts to combat climate change, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said in a video message played at the COP27 climate conference in Egypt on Tuesday.

Ukraine doubled down on its tough stance on negotiations with Russia yesterday, saying talks could only resume once the Kremlin relinquishes all Ukrainian territory and that Kyiv would fight on even if it is “stabbed in the back” by its allies.

Ukraine announced yesterday it had received more air defence systems from Western military allies, as officials in Kyiv said the situation with supplies was “tense” after protracted Russian attacks on energy facilities.

Emergency services in Moscow-occupied Ukraine said yesterday the key Kakhovka dam in the Russian-controlled region of Kherson was “damaged” by a Ukrainian strike, Russian news agencies reported.

The United States is privately encouraging Ukraine to signal an openness to negotiate with Russia, the Washington Post reported, as the State Department said Moscow was escalating the war and did not seriously wish to engage in peace talks.

Russian President Vladimir Putin publicly endorsed the evacuation of civilians from parts of Ukraine’s southern Kherson region yesterday, the latest sign of Russia’s retreat in one of the most bitterly contested areas in Ukraine.

Grain ships left Ukraine’s ports yesterday, a day after Russia rejoined an international agreement to guarantee their safe passage through the Black Sea.

Russia said yesterday it would resume its participation in a deal to free up vital grain exports from war-torn Ukraine after suspending it over the weekend in a move that had threatened to exacerbate hunger across the world.

Russia confirmed on Wednesday that it was resuming its participation in the Ukraine grain deal, saying it had received "sufficient" guarantees from Kyiv on demilitarising a maritime corridor.

Water and power supplies were fully restored in Kyiv yesterday a day after Russian missile strikes, as grain exports from Ukraine continued despite Moscow pulling out of a deal to let ships through.