Zelensky says 16,000 Russian troops dead as humiliated Putin faces ‘defeat’ in Kyiv and Ukraine fights to retake Kherson
PRESIDENT Joe Biden attacked deranged despot Putin in an emotional speech today - as it was reported that 16,000 Russian troops have died in Ukraine so far.
The US leader said the Kremlin tyrant "cannot remain in power" - and warned that if he's not stopped, it could lead to decades of war in Europe.
"For God's sake, this man cannot remain in power," he said during a visit to Warsaw in Poland, describing the Russian president as having a "craving for absolute power and control".
But the White House was later forced to clarify that President Biden wasn't calling for regime change after fury from Moscow.
An official said Biden's "point" is that Putin "cannot be allowed to exercise power over his neighbours of the region".
The American leader has been cautious not to call for a regime change in Russia, believing Putin would see it as an escalation.
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He said today: "It's nothing less than a direct challenge for the order established since the World War II and it threatens to return to decades of war that ravage Europe before the international rule-based order was put in place.
"We cannot go back to that."
In a direct warning to Putin, he added: "Don't even think about moving on one single inch of NATO territory."
Meanwhile, hero President Zelensky said his troops had delivered "powerful blows" to Moscow’s forces around Kyiv and urged the Kremlin to negotiate an end to the bloody war.
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He vowed he would never let any Ukrainian territory be handed over to tyrant Putin, 69.
It came as adviser to Ukraine's ministry of defence Markian Lubkivskyi predicted troops could take back southern port city Kherson today.
Mr Lubkivskyi said: "I believe that today the city will be fully under the control of Ukrainian armed forces.
"We have finished in the last two days the operation in the Kyiv region so other armed forces are now focused on the southern part trying to get free Kherson and some other Ukrainian cities."
Kherson, at the mouth of the Dnieper river, fell earlier this month in Russia's first major gain of the war.
But a US defence official said Russian control in the strategic city appeared to be waning as Ukrainian troops fight back.
The official said: "We would argue that Kherson is actually contested territory again.
"We can't corroborate exactly who is in control of Kherson but the point is, it doesn't appear to be as solidly in Russian control as it was before."
They added that if Ukraine did regain control, Russian troops around Mikolaiv would end up "sandwiched" between defence forces.
The official said: "That would make it very, very difficult for them to make any kind of ground movement on Odesa.
"That would be a significant development, no question about that, in terms of the southern part of the war."
Ukraine is also said to be close to major victories in the battle for Kyiv as British defence officials said there was now a "realistic possibility" that the towns of Bucha and Irpin would be encircled by Ukrainian forces.
The Ministry of Defence said Russian troops are facing "considerable supply and morale issues" and it was unlikely they would be able to regroup and take the capital.
Yesterday Russia signalled for the first time it was giving up on plans to capture Kyiv and would focus instead on "liberating" rebels in the east.
It was viewed as a humiliating admission of defeat for Vladimir Putin.
But defence adviser Mr Lubkivskyi he said doubted the Kremlin's claims it will no longer try to occupy the whole nation.
He told BBC Radio 4’s Today: "We cannot believe the statements from Moscow because there's still a lot of untruth and lies from that side.
"That's why we understand the goal of Putin still is the whole of Ukraine.
"We can see now that the enemy is focused on the eastern part of Ukraine but we are ready for any kind of attacks in different Ukrainian places."
Sergei Rudskoi, chief of the Main Operational Directorate of the General Staff of Russia's armed forces, did not rule out further attacks on Ukrainian cities.
Today several loud explosions believed to be from cruise missile strikes were heard in Lviv in the far west of Ukraine.
Ukraine said peace talks with Moscow continued to be "very difficult" and vowed not to back down on its demands, more than a month into Russia's invasion.
Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba said. "The negotiation process is very difficult.
"The Ukrainian delegation has taken a strong position and does not relinquish its demands.
"We insist, first of all, on a ceasefire, security guarantees, and territorial integrity of Ukraine."
It comes as...
- At least 300 people died after a theatre in Mariupol was shelled last week, Ukrainian authorities have claimed
- A terrified Russian soldier has revealed they expected the war to be over in two weeks, in an intercepted phone call to his gran
- In a further blow to Putin, Ukraine has reportedly pushed Russian troops out of the capital Kyiv
- US President Joe Biden has warned Nato WILL respond if Russia uses chemical weapons in Ukraine
- A Ukrainian refugee has given a heartbreaking account of how she dodged bodies as Putin's shells landed around her
- Putin's alleged secret family has come to light as he continues his brutal invasion of Ukraine
Ukraine is now littered with the burnt out wrecks of Russian tanks and armoured vehicles, charred remains of downed aircraft, and the dead bodies of soldiers - many of who were teenage conscripts.
As the fighting takes its toll on Russian troops, stories are beginning to emerge of anger and plummeting morale.
One soldier allegedly drove his tank into his commanding officer as he protested horrific losses among his comrades.
Colonel Yuri Medvedev was hospitalised with severe leg injuries after the reported incident.
Russia accidentally revealed it has lost 10,000 troops, when the figure was disclosed by a pro-Kremlin newspaper.
But Nato has said that figure could be as high as 15,000 with the total losses including wounded, captured or missing up to 40,000.
If the estimate is correct, then Russian losses in just under a month in Ukraine are now the same as they suffered during their ten year war in Afghanistan, which ended in 1989.
President Zelensky urged his country to keep up its military defence and not stop "even for a minute".
He used his nightly video address to rally Ukrainians to "move toward peace, move forward".
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He said: "With every day of our defence, we are getting closer to the peace that we need so much.
"We can't stop even for a minute, for every minute determines our fate, our future, whether we will live."
