"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.
Then-President Donald Trump, right, speaks while Viktor Orban, Hungary's prime minister, listens during a meeting at the White House in Washington, D.C., U.S., on May 13, 2019 (Chris Kleponis/Pool via Bloomberg)
Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban said in a radio interview on Nov. 3, as cited by Hungarian news outlet Telex, that if Donald Trump wins the U.S. presidency, "Europe cannot remain pro-war," supposedly referring to EU's defense assistance to Ukraine, which Orban has repeatedly criticized.
According to Telex, Orban also said that Europe can not bear the burden of Russia's war against Ukraine alone, into which Europe was "irresponsibly dragged", and Europeans will also have to "adapt to the situation."
Under Orban's leadership, Hungary has repeatedlyblocked aid to Kyiv,pushed for negotiations with Moscow, andspouted Kremlin talking points. Orban is a long-standing ally of Trump, whose potential presidency of the U.S. has raised concerns about the fate of Washington's further defense assistance to Ukraine.
Orban recently dismissed President Volodymyr Zelensky'svictory plan, which calls for more long-range weapons and the permission to use them against Russian targets, as "dangerous" and said that the EU must "switch to a peace strategy instead of a war strategy."
In July, Orban embarked on a "peace tour" and met with Russian President Vladimir Putin, Chinese leader Xi Jinping, and Trump. Meanwhile, Trump has repeatedly claimed he could end Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 24 hours but failed to explain how he would do so.
Orban is also preparing to deliver a significant policy concession to Trump, potentially allowing him to evade a $50 billion loan intended to support Ukraine amid its ongoing war with Russia, Politico reported on Oct. 14.
Should Trump win the presidency in November, this move would enable him to reassure Republican voters that he would not provide additional financial assistance to Ukraine, according to Politico.
Francis Farrell
