At least 16 people, including six children, have been killed in a Russian missile strike on Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s home city, according to Ukrainian officials.
Ukraine’s president said Friday’s attack on Kryvyi Rih showed Russia “does not want a ceasefire”.
“The whole world sees it,” he added. “Every missile, every strike drone proves that Russia only wants war.
“And only on the pressure of the world on Russia, on all efforts to strengthen Ukraine, our air defence, our forces – only on this does it depend when the war will end.”
Latest updates: President’s home city hit by missile attack
At least 50 people were wounded, according to emergency services, and regional governor Serhiy Lysak said more than 30, including a three-month-old baby, were in hospital.
Local authorities said the strike damaged about 20 apartment buildings, more than 30 vehicles, an educational building and a restaurant. They said emergency responders were at the scene and psychologists were helping survivors.
Confirming the “high-precision strike”, the Russian defence ministry said on Telegram that it targeted “a meeting of unit commanders and Western instructors” in a city restaurant.
“As a result of the strike, enemy losses total up to 85 servicemen and officers of foreign countries, as well as up to 20 vehicles,” the ministry added.
Later on Friday, a local Ukrainian official said Russian drones carried out a “massive” attack on Kryvyi Rih.
On Telegram, Oleksandr Vilkul, head of the city’s military administration, said: “There is a mass attack by Shaheds,” referring to Iranian-designed drones. “There are fires at four sites from Shahed impacts.”
Pic: Telegram/Zelenskyy
US ‘not interested in negotiations about negotiations’
It comes after the US secretary of state issued a veiled threat to Russia as talks about a ceasefire with Ukraine continue.
Speaking in Brussels during a NATO meeting, Marco Rubio said the US was “not interested in… negotiations about negotiations,” adding: “We’re not going to continue this forever.
“So none of it was threatening. I think it was more an explanation of this is our timeline, and at some point it will be clear whether [Russia] want peace or [Russia] don’t want peace.
“And that time is coming. It’s pretty short.”
Pic: Telegram/Zelenskyy
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In March, the US agreed a proposed 30-day ceasefire with Ukraine after talks in Saudi Arabia. Later, Washington negotiated a limited ceasefire about energy infrastructure with Russia.
Since then, the warring countries have accused each other of violating the energy ceasefire.
Foreign Secretary David Lammy also said in Brussels on Friday that Vladimir Putin “continues to obfuscate, continues to drag his feet” on ceasefire talks.
He added that while the Russian president should be accepting a ceasefire, “he continues to bombard Ukraine, its civilian population, its energy supplies”.
“We see you, Vladimir Putin. We know what you are doing,” Mr Lammy then said.
