At least 34 people have been killed in a Russian missile strike on Ukraine’s northeastern city of Sumy. That comes less than 48 hours after Donald Trump’s envoy met Vladimir Putin in Russia for more talks on ending the war. Follow the latest below.
Sunday 13 April 2025 23:00, UK
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We’re pausing our live coverage now.
You can catch up on the key developments by scanning through the list above, or keep scrolling down for more on how the day unfolded.
And you can tap on the video at the top of this page for our report on today’s devastating attack on the Ukrainian city of Sumy, where at least 34 people were killed.
Volodymyr Zelenskyy has spoken out several times today in response to Russia’s attack on Sumy.
He posted a video earlier to sum up the latest information from the city, which you can watch below.
Looking now at the week ahead, Turkey’s defence ministry has said military representatives will meet in the country on Tuesday and Wednesday to discuss an end to the war.
It isn’t clear which countries will attend the meeting.
Separately, the ministry said Russia and Ukraine will not be there this week.
The ministry said in a statement: “A meeting will be held on April 15-16 at the Naval Forces Headquarters regarding the security of the Black Sea following a possible ceasefire between the Russian Federation and Ukraine.”
A little more information now from Sumy.
According to the mayor of Konotop, a city in the Sumy region, an awards ceremony had been planned today, which “helped Russia justify their terrorist attack”.
Local reports cite Artem Semenikhin as saying it gave Moscow a “pretence” for the attack, while exposing nearby civilians.
He added only civilians were harmed.
Another Russian attack has been reported in Ukraine, this time in the southern city of Kherson.
The local governor Oleksandr Prokudin said three people have been killed after the central district of the city “came under fire”.
In messages shared on social media app Telegram, he said a 68-year-old woman was injured and died in hospital.
A 48-year-old man also died in hospital after “the occupiers dropped an explosive device from a drone”, and a 62-year-old woman was killed “as a result of the shelling”.
That came just hours after a strike on Sumy caused massive destruction – as we’ve reported today – with at least 34 people killed.
The US’s top diplomat Marco Rubio has spoken out on Russia’s attack today.
Posting on social media, he said the US extends its “deepest condolences” to the victims of Russia’s “horrifying” missile strike.
“This is a tragic reminder of why President Trump and his Administration are putting so much time and effort into trying to end this war and achieve durable peace,” he added.
We still haven’t heard from Donald Trump himself – who just yesterday said he thinks “Russia-Ukraine might be going OK” – but we expect to catch him briefly when he leaves Florida later.
Ukraine’s state emergency service has given another update from Sumy, where at least 34 people have been killed in a Russian attack today.
In the last few minutes, they’ve said 68 people are receiving medical care, with eight of them in a serious condition.
They also said five residential buildings, cafes and shops were damaged in the attack, along with a university building.
In all, they said 20 buildings were impacted.
As we’ve been reporting today, Russia’s attack on Sumy came not even 48 hours after Donald Trump’s envoy met Vladimir Putin for talks.
Steve Witkoff spoke with Putin for four hours on Friday, Russian state media reported, in the latest round of talks between Washington and Moscow.
While Witkoff may “have the desire for peace”, he is not an “experienced peace negotiator”, Elisabeth Braw, a senior fellow for the Atlantic Council thinktank, told us.
She also believes the attack on Sumy was a “signal” to the rest of the world, given it came so soon after Witkoff’s talks with Putin.
“If Russia were a country willing to show goodwill, it would be very easy not to strike Ukraine,” she said, speaking to our presenter Barbara Serra.
“It is an incredibly provocative act, one that Russia didn’t need to conduct for any military reasons.
“This was a signal to Ukraine, to the Americans and to the rest of the world.”
The Ukrainian president has warned Russia’s attack today is further proof that Moscow is “not afraid”, one month on from rejecting a US ceasefire plan.
“They do not stop attacking,” he posted on social media.
“They do not stop spreading hatred through their state propaganda.
“Only pressure – only decisive action – can change this.”
As we reported earlier, 15 children are said to be among 117 people injured in the attack on Sumy today.
Ukraine’s foreign ministry has now said that includes a child born in 2025.
The baby girl was “wounded” in the attack, the ministry said on social media.
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