Volodymyr Zelensky
is visiting the city of Kherson taken back from Russian forces.
This was reported by a source of the Ukrainian presidency.
"
Kherson is still Russian
" retorts the Kremlin.
The Ukrainian president described
the Russian withdrawal from Kherson as "the beginning of the end of the war"
during his visit.
The PA reports this on its website.
The head of state spent thirty minutes visiting the capital.
"We are moving forward," Zelensky said, quoted by Reuters on his web portal, addressing the troops in front of the administration building in the main square.
"We are ready for peace, peace for our whole country".
Ukraine has paid "a high price" to get Kherson back, Zelensky said.
"It is impossible to kill Ukraine," added the Ukrainian president.
This morning he posted some photos of his visit on Telegram, accompanied by the simple message
'Kherson-Ukraine', in English and Ukrainian.
According to a video posted on
by the chief of staff of the Ukrainian presidency,
Andriï Yermak
, Zelensky sang, with his hand on his heart, in front of the soldiers and the inhabitants of the city, while the blue and yellow flag was raised in front of the building of the regional administration.
"Russia is not in a position to dictate its terms 'to start negotiations for an end to the war
,' Ukrainian Foreign Ministry spokesman
Oleg Nikolenko
said on Facebook , quoted by Ukrinform. 'Ukraine's peace formula remains unchanged: immediate end of the war, withdrawal of all Russian troops, restoration of Ukrainian territorial integrity, compensation for damages inflicted and effective guarantees of non-repeat of aggression.
Under other conditions, achieving sustainable peace will be impossible," the spokesman said.
Russia considers Ukraine's condition that Moscow's troops withdraw from the country to start negotiations as "unacceptable".
This was stated by the deputy foreign minister and former Russian ambassador to NATO Alexander Grushko, quoted by the Interfax agency.
The Kremlin spokesman, Dmitry Peskov, confirmed that a meeting between an American and a Russian delegation took place today in Ankara on "US initiative", but did not disclose the contents of the discussion.
The Tass agency reports.
Earlier, a White House spokesperson said CIA chief William Burns met with his Russian counterpart in the Turkish capital to warn Moscow against the use of nuclear weapons in Ukraine.
CIA chief meets Russian counterpart, warning about nukes
CIA chief William Burns met his Russian counterpart today in Ankara to warn Moscow against the use of nuclear weapons in Ukraine, a spokesman said of the White House.
The National Security Council said the meeting in Turkey was in no way aimed at negotiating or discussing any solution to the conflict in Ukraine.
Kiev had been given advance notice of the meeting.
Burns also planned to raise the case of Americans detained in Russia, including women's basketball star Brittney Griner.
