Nine individuals are reported to have died in a Russian drone strike on a civilian minibus in north-eastern Ukraine, according to officials.
Seven others were also wounded in the strike on the morning of Saturday in Bilopillia as a minibus made its way to Sumy, the regional capital near Russia’s border.
The attack came hours after Russia and Ukraine had their first direct meeting in over three years. Not much was done but there was a prisoner exchange agreed.
Zelensky Condemns Attack as Deliberate Targeting of Civilians
Ukraine president Volodymr Zelensky described the attack on the bus as “a deliberate killing of civilians”. Russia has yet to comment, but state media announced that forces had targeted a “military staging area” in the Sumy province.
Zelensky stated that Russian troops “could not fail to realize what type of car they were striking”.
A family of a mother, father and daughter were among the victims, he said.
Quoting initial information, the head of Sumy Region Oleh Hryhorov reported that a bus was struck by a Russian Lancet unmanned aerial vehicle at 06:17 local time on Saturday (03:17 GMT). The attack, he stated, was “inhumane”.
Peace Talks in Istanbul See Limited Progress
The negotiations on Friday in Istanbul, Turkey, did not yield any breakthrough as Ukraine and Russia are still far apart on how to bring an end to the war.
But it was agreed that both sides would exchange 1,000 prisoners of war with the other within the coming days.
Zelensky commented on the negotiations that “as on any day of this war, there was an opportunity to cease fire. Ukraine has been offering this for a long time”.
Ukraine Renews Call for Ceasefire
After Istanbul talks, Ukraine again called for a complete and unconditional ceasefire but an agreement with Russia eluded it.
Ukraine stated the next step in the process would be direct negotiations between Zelensky and Russia’s president Vladimir Putin.
Russia stated it had “taken notice” of the request.
Trump Pushes for In-Person Meeting with Russian President Putin
The US has insisted that it would only make progress towards a peace to the war if President Donald Trump and Putin met in person.
While visiting the Middle East, Trump informed journalists on Air Force One “nothing’s going to happen until Putin and I get together”.
“He wasn’t leaving if I wasn’t there and I don’t think anything’s going to occur, whether you want it or not, until he and I sit down,” Trump said.
Russia invaded Ukraine in February 2022. Ukraine used Sumy to mount attacks into Russia’s Kursk area last August. Russia pushed most of Ukraine’s forces back earlier this year and has launched increased cross-border artillery and air raids in recent weeks.
Fresh Attacks from Both Russian and Ukranian Sides
Earlier this week prior to negotiations with Ukraine, Russia conducted drone attacks across the region, killing three individuals and wounding nine others, Sumy’s regional military administration said.
On Saturday, Ukrainian drones were said to have hit an ammunition depot in Crimea, the territory Russia illegally annexed in 2014.
Reuters reports that Ukraine’s attack led to detonation of warehouses containing military equipment, weapons and fuel.
