Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has again accused Russia of "deliberately" targeting civilian infrastructure after a wave of air strikes early on June 3 killed four people and injured at least 20 others in the Sumy region that is next to the Russian border.
"The Russians launched a savage strike on Sumy -- directly targeting the city and its ordinary streets with rocket artillery. It was a fully deliberate attack on civilians," Zelenskyy said in a post on social media.
The Kremlin did not react immediately to Zelenskyy's accusation, but have repeatedly denied Russian troops purposely target Ukrainian civilian installations.
Russian troops have waged an intense campaign in the Sumy region in recent weeks after President Vladimir Putin ordered the creation of a "buffer zone" on Ukrainian territory to shield Russian borders regions from attack.
Russia says it has captured several villages in the region, and on June 3 said it was now in control of Andriyivka. Ukrainian officials, who have said they expect Russia is preparing for a summer offensive, have not confirmed the fall of Andriyivka.
Local authorities in Sumy said the strikes hit an apartment building, three private homes, a warehouse, a garage, and a hospital building.
"Among the injured is a 17-year-old child. There are also people in serious condition," Oleh Hryhorov, the regional governor, said.
Explosions were also heard in the port city of Odesa, local media reported, though details were not immediately available.
The June 3 strikes come a day after Ukraine and Russia agreed to another large-scale prisoner swap but little else during a second round of direct peace talks in Istanbul that lasted just over an hour.
Expectations, low to begin with, were tempered further after Ukraine said a day earlier that it had hit dozens of long-range Russian bombers with a wave of drones launched remotely after being smuggled into Russia.
Both delegations presented their drafts of so-called memoranda -- documents on the principles of peace negotiations and possible conditions for a cease-fire to put a halt to Europe's largest and deadliest conflict since World War II.
Ukraine's delegation leader, Defense Minister Rustem Umerov, said the sides agreed to "exchange all-for-all seriously wounded and seriously sick prisoners of war. The second category is young soldiers who are from 18 to 25 years old -- all-for-all."
Umerov's Russian counterpart, Vladimir Medinsky, said the exchange would involve "at least 1,000" on each side, a figure that exceeds the 1,000-for-1,000 POW exchange carried out after the first round of talks last month.
But on a cease-fire, neither side reported any progress.
Russian media published the text of Moscow's memorandum, which included harsh demands such as giving up territory, halting military mobilization, and a timetable for holding elections, that both Kyiv and the West have already rejected.
"It is obvious: without global pressure – without decisive actions from the United States, Europe, and everyone in the world who has the power – Putin will not agree even to a ceasefire," Zelenskyy said in his social media post.
"Not a single day goes by without Russia striking Ukrainian cities and villages. Every day, we lose our people to Russian terror. Every day, Russia gives new reasons for tougher sanctions and stronger support for our defense."
Andriy Yermak, Zelenskiy's chief of staff, said he arrived in Washington together with the first deputy prime minister and other government officials on June 3, to "actively promote issues that are important for Ukraine."
"We plan to talk about defense support and the situation on the battlefield, strengthening sanctions against Russia," Yermak said, adding discussions on the bilateral minerals deal that gives the United States preferential access to new Ukrainian mineral projects would be held.
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