President Volodymyr Zelensky has visited the city of Kherson days after it was liberated by Ukrainian troops.
He spoke to soldiers, saying Ukraine is “moving forward” and ready for peace.
The loss of Kherson, taken in the early stages of the invasion, is a major setback for Russia – though Moscow insists is still Russian territory.
Russia had declared it the administrative centre of the illegally-annexed Kherson region, and it was the only regional capital to be occupied.
Kherson was captured in March, in one of Russia’s major early successes in the war.
The region was then one of four to be illegally annexed after self-styled referendums were held in September.
At a ceremony in Moscow, Russian President Vladimir Putin said the annexation of Luhansk, Donetsk, Zaporizhzhia and Kherson was “non-negotiable”.
But in the following weeks Ukraine began to make gains in the south of the country, advancing along Dnipro river towards Kherson and putting Russian forces under increasing pressure.
Finally, Russian forces withdrew and Ukrainian troops entered the city on Friday.
