Extract from ABC News
Footage from the Ukrainian authorities showed buildings damaged by a missile strike. (Reuters/National Police of Ukraine)
In short:
A missile strike on the Ukrainian city of Sumy has injured 74 people, including 13 children, and damaged a school and hospital, officials say.
The strikes came at the same time Russian and American negotiators were meeting to discuss a potential partial ceasefire.
US President Donald Trump says a rare earth minerals deal with Ukraine should be signed soon.
A Russian missile attack on the north-eastern Ukrainian city of Sumy has injured at least 74 people, including 13 children.
The strike came on Monday, local time, as talks between the US and Russia on a partial ceasefire in Ukraine were being held in Saudi Arabia.
The attack on a "densely populated residential area" damaged apartments and an educational facility, the regional prosecutor's office said.
The city's acting mayor earlier said a hospital had been affected.
Several high-rise residential blocks in the city centre were also damaged, regional governor Volodymyr Artiukh said.
He said the 13 school children injured in the missile blast were in a shelter at the time.
Authorities say at least 74 people were injured in the strikes. (Reuters/National Police of Ukraine)
Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha condemned the strikes, saying they showed Russia had no interest in ending its invasion of Ukraine.
"Moscow speaks of peace while carrying out brutal strikes on densely populated residential areas in major Ukrainian cities," he said.
"Instead of making hollow statements about peace, Russia must stop bombing our cities and end its war on civilians."
Sumy is 30 kilometres from the Russian border and is a frequent target of drone and missile attacks from Russia.
Talks continue in Saudi Arabia
US negotiators continue to work on a proposed partial ceasefire, meeting representatives from Russia on Monday a day after holding separate talks with Ukraine in Saudi Arabia.
It has been a struggle to reach a limited, 30-day ceasefire — which Moscow and Kyiv agreed to in principle last week — with both sides continuing to attack each other with drones and missiles.
One major sticking point is what targets would be off-limits to strike, even after US President Donald Trump spoke with the countries’ leaders, because the parties disagree.
While the White House said "energy and infrastructure" would be covered, the Kremlin declared that the agreement referred more narrowly to "energy infrastructure."
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has said he would also like to see infrastructure like railways and ports protected.
Speaking to the media on Monday, Mr Trump said he expected a minerals deal with Ukraine would be signed soon.
The deal would see revenues from rare earth mineral deposits in Ukraine shared with the United States.
Signing the agreement has been considered vital for Ukraine to continue receiving US military support.
Volodymyr Zelenskyy was expected to sign a minerals deal with the US on the day of the Oval Office clash with Donald Trump and JD Vance. (Reuters: Brian Snyder)
Mr Trump also told reporters in Washington, after he met his Cabinet, that officials are talking to Ukraine about the potential for American firms taking ownership of Ukrainian power plants.
Talks Monday in the Saudi capital of Riyadh are expected to address some of those differences, as well as a potential pause in attacks in the Black Sea to ensure the safety of commercial shipping.
Grigory Karasin, head of the foreign affairs committee in the Russian parliament's upper house and a participant in Monday's talks, told the Interfax news agency the negotiations were going on in a "creative way" and that the US and Russian delegations "understand each other's views."
Reuters/AP
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