At least nine dead in a Russian drone attack on a bus in the Ukrainian city of Sumi

BarcelonaNine people were killed this morning in a Russian drone attack on a bus in Ukraine, the day after Kiev and Moscow will meet for negotiations in Istanbul for the first time since 2022.The vehicle was full of civilians and was heading to the northeastern Ukrainian city of Sumi. Images of the attack shared on social media show a minibus with its frame smashed in the middle of a rural road and the bodies of some civilians lying on the ground. According to Ukrainian authorities, another Russian drone attacked a second bus near Bilopilia, in the same region as Sumi, injuring seven people.

The Russian Defense Ministry argues that the attack targeted Ukrainian military equipment, according to the TASS news agency. Kiev denies this claim. "All the dead were civilians," Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said. "And the Russians could not have been unaware of what type of vehicle they were targeting. It was a deliberate killing of civilians," the leader asserted. Zelensky has also called on his allies to pressure Moscow with more sanctions "to stop the killings" if they want to force Russia to sit down for real negotiations.

Kiev accuses Moscow of using the negotiations to "fake" a peace process and buy time. "Putin used the meeting in Istanbul for domestic propaganda purposes and to fake a peace process, buy time, and postpone the deadlines for sanctions," Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andriy Sibiha said via X. In fact, the Kremlin managed to prevent any significant progress from the meeting. Russian representatives arrived at the talks demanding all annexed Ukrainian territories, including those they do not control. de facto, as a precondition for a ceasefire. A demand unacceptable to the Ukrainian authorities.

Conversation with Trump

In this regard, President Donald Trump pledged to speak with his Russian and Ukrainian counterparts on Monday to "end this bloodbath." The US president had offered to travel to Turkey for talks during his visit to the Gulf states last week if Putin also attended, but Putin declined. "The topics of the call will be stopping the bloodbath that is killing, on average, more than 5,000 Russian and Ukrainian soldiers a week, and trade," he said through his Truth Social network.

Just a month ago, Sumi suffered the worst attack against civilians in 2025.On Palm Sunday, the Russian air force bombed this city near the front, leaving at least 34 dead and more than 100 wounded. One of the shells that fell in the city center also hit a bus full of passengers.