9 killed in Russian drone attack on Ukrainian bus after peace talks
A Russian drone hit a civilian minibus in Bilopillia, northeastern Ukraine, early Saturday morning local time, killing nine people and injuring four others, according to the Sumy regional military administration.
The bus was en route to Sumy, not far from the Russian border, and was struck at approximately 6:17 a.m., the military officials said.
Ukrainian national police condemned the attack as a "cynical war crime", stating that Russia once again deliberately targeted a civilian object, violating international humanitarian law as regional governor Oleh Hryhorov called the strike "inhumane."
The attack occurred just hours after Russia and Ukraine held their first direct peace talks since March 2022 in Istanbul. While the negotiations did not produce a ceasefire, both sides agreed to a mutual exchange of 1000 prisoners of war in the coming days.
Russia has not directly commented on the civilian bus strike, but the Russian Ministry of Defense claimed to have hit a "military staging area" in the Sumy region.
Meanwhile, Russian official Kirill Dmitriev praised yesterday's peace talks in Istanbul -- calling the outcome a "good result" --while highlighting the largest prisoner-of-war exchange, possible ceasefire options and a better understanding of each side's position.
He credited the progress to President Donald Trump's team and the U.S. delegation sent to help negotiations, saying the talks wouldn't have happened without their help.
However, many key issues remain unresolved.
Russia is demanding that Ukraine give up control of parts of its territory -- something Ukrainian officials say is unacceptable and have accused Russia of using the talks to buy time and avoid more international sanctions.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, meanwhile, expressed disappointment and urged Ukraine's allies to keep up pressure on Moscow to reach a meaningful peace deal.
In a social media post Saturday, Trump said he will ask Russian President Vladimir Putin to stop the "bloodbath" in Ukraine when the two leaders are scheduled to speak on Monday morning. Trump said he will also speak with Zelenskyy and NATO officials.
Secretary of State Marco Rubio also spoke with Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov on Saturday, State Department spokesperson Tammy Bruce said. Rubio welcomed the prisoner exchange agreement reached during the May 16 Ukraine-Russia talks in Istanbul and emphasized Trump's call for an immediate ceasefire, according to Bruce.
