Russia accused of ‘hollow talks’ as strikes hit Sumy

Russia has launched a missile strike concentrating on north-eastern Ukraine as US and Russian officers met to push for a pause within the battle.

After Monday’s assault, which injured dozens within the metropolis of Sumy, Ukrainian International Minister Andrii Sybiha stated Russia should finish strikes as an alternative of “making hole statements about peace”.

The newest spherical of talks between the US and Russia concluded on Monday within the Saudi capital, Riyadh. Prime of the agenda was reportedly the revival of a 2022 grain deal permitting Kyiv to export throughout the Black Sea.

In return, Moscow is alleged to be searching for aid from Western sanctions, enabling it to export fertilisers.

The Russia-US talks went on for 12 hours. Russian information companies stated a joint assertion could be launched on Tuesday.

Late on Monday a White Home supply instructed Reuters information company the talks in Riyadh are going “extraordinarily properly” and it anticipated “to have a optimistic announcement within the close to future”.

Ukrainian and US delegations will meet on Tuesday in Saudi Arabia for talks to comply with Russia-US negotiations, Ukraine’s nationwide broadcaster Suspilne reported.

Optimistic US ambitions for ending this battle have had a head-on collision with actuality. Discovering widespread floor for even a partial ceasefire is proving a extremely complicated activity.

This isn’t one thing that may be solved rapidly. So within the present talks, the purpose has been to provide you with a sort of “ceasefire mild”, specializing in the Black Sea.

Russia stopped giving protected passage to cargo ships going to and from Ukraine in mid-2023, when it pulled out of the Black Sea grain deal complaining that sanctions had been nonetheless in place.

The Ukrainian delegation is in the identical constructing – however there aren’t any plans for the warring sides to satisfy. The Ukrainians remained there after assembly American counterparts on Sunday night.

Kyiv described talks as “productive and targeted”, whereas US President Donald Trump’s particular envoy stated separate discussions with Ukrainian and Russian groups would result in “some actual progress” to ending the battle.

Each Russia and Ukraine have continued preventing regardless of the continuing talks trying to deliver a halt to hostilities throughout the huge entrance line.

Ukrainian officers say 65 individuals, together with 14 kids, had been injured in Monday’s assault on Sumy.

The town has lengthy been the topic of Russian strikes – it lies simply over the border from the Kursk area of Russia occupied by Ukraine final 12 months. However Monday’s missile strike was distinctive.

The authorities stated a faculty, hospital and residence blocks had been broken. Scores had been injured – together with kids.

Ukraine’s Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal stated the assault confirmed Russia was “as soon as once more displaying that it needs to proceed the fear”.

“The worldwide group should improve the stress on Russia to cease the aggression and guarantee justice and save the lives of Ukrainians,” he wrote on X.

Sumy borders Russia’s Kursk area, elements of which have been occupied by Ukrainian troops to strengthen Kyiv’s hand in any negotiations, although they’ve been compelled again in current weeks.

Russia and Ukraine have accused one another of not abiding by final week’s deal for a 30-day ceasefire throughout which the combatants would chorus from concentrating on infrastructure services.

Russia’s defence ministry stated Ukraine launched a drone assault towards the Kropotkinskaya oil pumping station in Krasnodar, southern Russia, at 02:00 native time on Monday (23:00 GMT on Sunday), in response to Russian state media.

The defence ministry stated it had shot down in a single day 227 Ukrainian drones in a number of Russian areas.

In the meantime, a Russian air strike injured a 37-year-old man in Ukraine’s Kyiv area, in response to native authorities.

Russia launched a full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, and Moscow at present controls about 20% of Ukrainian territory.

The present negotiations, mediated by the US, are a part of Trump’s plan to safe a wider ceasefire in Ukraine.

His particular envoy, Steve Witkoff, stated he was hopeful that actual progress could be made throughout the talks, in an interview with Fox Information.

After Sunday night’s assembly between Kyiv and Washington, Ukrainian Defence Minister Rustem Umerov stated the talks had been working in the direction of securing “a simply and lasting peace” for Ukraine and Europe.

“The dialogue was productive and targeted – we addressed key factors together with power”, he stated in a put up on X.

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov stated forward of Monday’s assembly there have been “tough negotiations forward”.

“We’re solely in the beginning of this path,” he instructed Russian State TV.