Ukrainian President Zelenskyy vows to defend the country's south as war enters day 116

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy vowed to defend the country's south in an address recorded on his way back from a visit to the regions of Mykolaiv and Odesa along the Black Sea.

Speaking from the train, Zelenskyy said "we will not give away the south to anyone, we will return everything that's ours and the sea will be Ukrainian and safe".

"We will definitely restore everything that was destroyed," Zelenskyy said, adding that "Russia does not have as many missiles as our people have a desire to live."

He also condemned the Russian blockade of Ukraine's ports as weeks of negotiations on safe corridors to get grain out have made little progress, with urgency rising as the summer harvest season arrives.

"Our position is clear and unchanged, as soon as we can ensure security through international mediation, Ukraine will do everything possible to counter the food crisis," Zelenskyy said.

Zelenskyy met with regional leaders in Mykolaiv and Odesa and went with them to see buildings that had been destroyed in Russian attacks that took the lives of many civilians.

He also visited hospital workers and troops, handing out awards to dozens of people at every stop.