KYIV, Ukraine (Diya TV) — Peace talks between Russia and Ukraine hit a grim setback over the weekend, marred by a failed drone assassination attempt on Russian President Vladimir Putin and a deadly Russian strike on a civilian evacuation bus in Ukraine’s northeastern Sumy region.
According to Ukrainian officials, a Russian drone struck a bus evacuating residents from the front-line town of Bilopillia on Saturday, killing nine civilians, most of them elderly women, and injuring seven more, three seriously. Bilopillia is located about 10 kilometers from Russia’s border. The attack came just hours after both nations held their first face-to-face peace talks in over two years.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy condemned the strike as a “deliberate killing of civilians,” writing on Telegram that “Russians could scarcely not realize what kind of vehicle they were hitting.” He referred to the incident as a missed opportunity following Friday’s ceasefire negotiations in Istanbul. Ukraine had proposed a full and unconditional ceasefire, but talks ended in under two hours with no agreement.
Suspilne, a Ukrainian media outlet, reported that the targeted bus was transporting evacuees when the drone hit. A local mourning period was declared through Monday in Bilopillia, which community chief Yurii Zarko called “Black Saturday.” Ukraine’s national police and regional governor Oleh Hryhorov are working to identify the victims, and the injured have been transported to a hospital in the regional capital, Sumy.
Russia’s defense ministry claimed its forces targeted a military staging area in the Sumy region but made no mention of the Bilopillia strike. The Associated Press could not independently verify either account.
Simultaneously, tensions rose after Ukrainian sources claimed Kyiv’s military conducted a failed drone strike on President Putin’s helicopter convoy. The attack, which reportedly missed its target, was intended as a high-profile blow against Russia’s leadership. While details remain sparse, and Moscow has not officially commented on the attempt, the incident underlines the high stakes involved in the ongoing war and any diplomatic outreach.
Western leaders swiftly responded. British Foreign Secretary David Lammy said he was “appalled” by the attack on the bus and urged Moscow to join Ukraine in agreeing to an immediate ceasefire. “If Putin is serious about peace, Russia must agree to a full and immediate ceasefire, as Ukraine has done,” Lammy wrote on X.
Despite the tensions, the two sides reached a tentative agreement to exchange 1,000 prisoners of war each—the largest such swap since the war began in February 2022. Ukrainian intelligence chief Kyrylo Budanov told Ukrainian TV the exchange could occur as soon as next week.
Both delegations also committed to exchanging detailed ceasefire proposals. Ukrainian Defense Minister Rustem Umerov, who led Kyiv’s delegation, said Ukraine had requested a direct meeting between the two presidents. Russian envoy Vladimir Medinsky confirmed that the Kremlin is “considering” the proposal, contingent on the successful prisoner swap and further agreements.
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov did not rule out a meeting between Putin and Zelenskyy, saying Moscow would soon present Ukraine with a list of conditions for a ceasefire, though he provided no specifics or timeline.
Meanwhile, Zelenskyy attended a European summit in Tirana, Albania, where he met with leaders from 47 countries, including French President Emmanuel Macron, German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, and UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer. The summit focused on bolstering Ukraine’s security amid ongoing Russian aggression.
“Pressure on Russia must be maintained until Russia is ready to end the war,” Zelenskyy posted from the summit. Macron accused Putin of “cynicism” and affirmed that a European “coalition of the willing” stands ready to provide Ukraine with security guarantees.
The Institute for the Study of War, a Washington-based think tank, reported Ukrainian troops have made limited advances into Russia’s Kursk region—an area Moscow claimed to have fully recaptured last month. Ukrainian officials maintain that fighting in the region continues.
With diplomacy faltering and battlefield violence escalating, hopes for a near-term ceasefire remain elusive, even as world leaders call for restraint and dialogue.
