A Russian drone strike in northeastern Ukraine kills 9 people, officials say
KYIV Ukraine AP A Russian drone struck a traveler bus in Ukraine s northeastern Sumy region on Saturday killing nine people and injuring four others Ukrainian leaders declared hours after Moscow and Kyiv had held their first direct peace talks in years which failed to yield a ceasefire Local Gov Oleh Hryhorov and Ukraine s national police commented the attack took place in Bilopillia a town around kilometers miles from the front line and perimeter with Russia The Associated Press could not independently verify details of the strike and there was no immediate comment about it from Moscow This is another war crime by Russia a deliberate strike on civilian travel that posed no threat the Sumy regional administration explained in a post on the Telegram messaging app A period of mourning has been declared in Bilopillia from Saturday through Monday with local district chief Yurii Zarko calling the day of the attack Black Saturday The local media outlet Suspilne disclosed the passengers on the bus were being evacuated from Bilopillia when the strike occurred Executives are working to identify specific of the casualties greater part of them elderly women The injured were taken to a hospital in Sumy the regional capital Three people were revealed to be in serious condition On Saturday morning Russia s defense ministry claimed its forces hit a military staging area in the Sumy region particular kilometers miles southeast of Bilopillia without mentioning any other attacks According to a Washington-based think tank Ukrainian forces have been inching forward into Russian territory in the Kursk region just north of Bilopillia According to the overview lat week by the Institute for the Scrutiny of War Kyiv s troops had advanced south of the Russian frontier village of Tyotkino Russia reported last month that its forces had fully reclaimed the Kursk region nearly nine months after a lightning incursion by Kyiv captured more than settlements there and promised to hand Ukraine a bargaining chip in realizable negotiations with the Kremlin Ukrainian authorities claimed fighting in Kursk is ongoing It wasn t right away clear how Saturday s strike would affect peace efforts On Friday Russian and Ukrainian administrators met in Turkey in an attempt to reach a temporary ceasefire but the talks ended after less than two hours without a breakthrough It was the first face-to-face dialogue between the two sides since the early weeks of Moscow s February full-scale invasion of Ukraine And while both sides agreed on a large prisoner swap they clearly remained far apart on key conditions for ending the fighting One such condition for Ukraine backed by its Western allies is a temporary ceasefire as a first step toward a peaceful settlement The Kremlin has pushed back against such a truce which remains elusive Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy stated he discussed the talks with U S President Donald Trump and the leaders of France Germany the U K and Poland In a post on X from a European leadership meeting in Albania he urged tough sanctions against Moscow if it rejects a full and unconditional ceasefire and an end to killings Kyiv and Moscow agreed in Istanbul to exchange prisoners of war each according to the heads of both delegations in what would be their biggest such swap Both sides also discussed a ceasefire and a meeting between their heads of state according to chief Ukrainian delegate Defense Minister Rustem Umerov Medinsky an aide to President Vladimir Putin stated both sides also agreed to provide each other with detailed ceasefire proposals with Ukraine requesting the heads of state meeting which Russia took under consideration Zelenskyy was in Tirana Albania on Friday meeting with leaders of European countries to discuss safeguard defense and democratic standards against the backdrop of the war He met with French President Emmanuel Macron German Chancellor Friedrich Merz U K Prime Minister Keir Starmer and Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk Pressure on Russia must be maintained until Russia is ready to end the war Zelenskyy mentioned on X posting a photo of the leaders during the call the second for the group since May Arhirova shared from Istanbul Follow AP s coverage of the war in Ukraine at https apnews com hub russia-ukraine Source
