"I am waiting to see who will come from Russia, and then I will decide which steps Ukraine should take. So far, the signals from them in the media are unconvincing," President Volodymyr Zelensky said.
The air raid was announced at around 2:30 p.m. local time, while the explosion sounded around 2:50 p.m. The number of victims killed rose to three, Sumy Oblast Governor Oleh Hryhorov reported at 8:42 p.m.
If confirmed, the decision would mark the first time since Russia's full-scale invasion that President Volodymyr Zelensky is absent, either physically or virtually, from a NATO summit.
The disclosure follows a warning from Digital Affairs Minister Krzysztof Gawkowski, who on May 6 said Moscow was carrying out an "unprecedented" interference campaign.
Brazilian President Lula da Silva claimed that Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha had appealed to his Brazilian counterpart, Mauro Vieira, to ask Putin if he was willing to conclude a peace agreement.
Earlier reporting from the Washington Post cited a former Russian official who claimed Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov and Putin’s foreign policy aide, Yuri Ushakov, would represent Moscow in the talks.
The Council of Europe on May 14 approved the creation of a special tribunal to prosecute Russia's top leadership for the crime of aggression against Ukraine, Ukrainian lawmaker Maria Mezentseva reported.
Viktoria Roshchyna, 27, disappeared in August 2023 while reporting from Ukraine's Russian-occupied territories. Moscow admitted she was in Russian detention the following year.
Dutch Justice Minister David van Weel speaks about the future of the EU-led special tribunal for the crime of aggression against Ukraine and its role in bringing Russia to justice.
Illustrative image: A mortar unit with a 120 mm mortar prepares to perform a combat mission in Kharkiv Oblast on May 18, 2024. (Kostiantyn Liberov/Libkos/Getty Images)
Russian forces attacked 12 communities in Sumy Oblast on June 4, injuring two people, the Sumy Oblast Military Administration reported.
The communities of Khotin, Yunakivka, Mykolaiv, Konotop, Svesy, Novoslobidsk, Bilopillia, Krasnopillia, Velyka Pysarivka, Esman, Seredyna-Buda, and Shalyhyne were targeted.
Two people were injured in the communities of Konotop and Khotin in separate Russian mortar and missile strikes. No details were provided on the extent of the victims' injuries.
Throughout the day, Russia assailed the border communities with mortar, artillery, missile, and drone attacks. Explosives were also dropped by drones onto a community.
Earlier in the day, the Russian military struck the village of Seredyna-Buda with artillery, killing a 70-year-old man in the yard of his house.
In total, 106 explosions were recorded in 36 separate attacks on the region.
The village of Khotin, with a pre-war population of about 2,200 residents, experienced the bulk of the attacks reported with 21 explosions recorded in the area. The community is located just 10 kilometers south and 27 kilometers west of the Ukraine-Russia border.
Russian strikes against Sumy Oblast have become increasingly destructive in recent months, amid fears that Russia may launch a new attack on Sumy Oblast in the coming months.
Shelling is a daily occurrence for the communities near Ukraine's northeastern border with Russia, with residents in the region's vulnerable border settlements experience multiple attacks per day.
Dmytro Basmat is a senior news editor for The Kyiv Independent. He previously worked in Canadian politics as a communications lead and spokesperson for a national political party, and as a communications assistant for a Canadian Member of Parliament. Basmat has a Master's degree in Political Management from Carleton University in Ottawa, Canada, and a Bachelor of Arts in Politics and Governance from Toronto Metropolitan University.
Alexander Khrebet
