A Russian ballistic missile strike killed dozens of people in the northeastern Ukrainian town of Sumy on Palm Sunday morning, Sumy Mayor Artyom Kobzar said.
So far, 31 people have died in the attack and at least 83 have been injured, including seven children, Ukraine's Emergency Aid Service said.
Kobzar said the city was hit with "many dead" as a result of the missile strike, the Kyiv Independent reported.
"Enemy missiles hit an ordinary city street, ordinary life: houses, educational institutions, cars on the street... And this on a day when people go to church - Palm Sunday," President Volodymyr Zelensky wrote on his Telegram channel.
"Without pressure on the aggressor, peace is impossible. Talks have never stopped ballistic missiles and aerial bombs. We need the kind of treatment of Russia that a terrorist deserves," he added.
The attack comes at a time when Washington is trying to arrange a ceasefire between Russia and Ukraine. A month ago, Kiev agreed to a full 30-day ceasefire, but so far Moscow has refused and continued to strike Ukraine's civilian centres.
The day before the attack, President Donald Trump said negotiations between Russia and Ukraine were "going well," but stressed that a solution must come soon.
"There's a point where you either have to acquiesce or be silent. We'll see what happens, but I think they're going well," he said. | BGNES