"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.
Apartment in Kyiv damaged by a Russian drone attack on Jan. 1, 2025. (Ukraine's State Emergency Service / Facebook)
Russia launched more than 300 drones and 20 missiles, including ballistic missiles, at Ukrainian cities and villages over the first three days of the new year, President Volodymyr Zelensky said on Jan. 3.
In the first days of 2025, Russia carried out a series of attacks against Ukraine, causing the destruction of many residential buildings and infrastructure, as well as civilian casualties.
Zelensky added that the Russian army also strikes settlements close to the front line with guided aerial bombs every day.
"Such Russian terror, which is not decreasing its intensity, requires us and all our partners to continue to build our air shield and all its systemic elements, from patriots to mobile fire groups," Zelensky said.
"It is necessary to replenish the stock of anti-missiles for air defense constantly. We need to increase the capacity of mobile fire groups constantly. I am grateful to all the partners who help us."
The president also announced meetings and talks next week to strengthen Ukraine's air defense.
The next Ramstein-format summit of the Ukraine Defense Contact Group (UDCG) will take place on Jan. 9.
The meeting will be the first since the leader-level summit in Germany was postponed in October 2024 after U.S. President Joe Biden canceled his foreign trips to handle Hurricane Milton.
Kateryna Hodunova is a News Editor at the Kyiv Independent. She previously worked as a sports journalist in several Ukrainian outlets and was the deputy chief editor at Suspilne Sport. Kateryna covered the 2022 Olympics in Beijing and was included in the Special Mentions list at the AIPS Sport Media Awards. She holds a bachelor's degree in political journalism from Taras Shevchenko University and a master's degree in political science from the National University of Kyiv-Mohyla Academy.
Tim Zadorozhnyy
