Russian strike hits central Sumy just hours before Trump-Putin summit
A Russian strike on central Sumy sparked a fire on Aug. 15, hitting civilian infrastructure, Governor Oleh Hryhorov reported on Telegram.
"The enemy struck civilian infrastructure in the central part of Sumy," Hryhorov wrote, without specifying the type of weapon used.
He added that emergency crews are responding, but details on casualties are still being confirmed.
Sumy Oblast, which borders Russia, has been repeatedly shelled and targeted by missiles and drones since the start of the full-scale invasion in 2022.
The latest attack came just hours before U.S. President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin were set to meet in Alaska for their first talks since Trump returned to office, and Putin's first visit to the U.S. in a decade.
In his evening address, President Volodymyr Zelensky condemned Russia's ongoing strikes, listing attacks in Sumy, Dnipropetrovsk, Zaporizhzhia, Kherson, and Donetsk oblasts.
"The war continues," Zelensky said. "It continues exactly because there is no order, nor any signals that Moscow is preparing to end this war."
While the White House has billed the summit as part of Washington's push to end the war, Ukrainian and European officials have raised concerns over Kyiv's exclusion from the talks.
Martin Fornusek
