At least nine people were killed and 29 injured after a Russian missile attack on the central Ukrainian city of Kryvyi Rih in the Dnipropetrovsk region, according to official Ukrainian sources.
The mayor of Kryvyi Rih was the first to report the explosion recorded during the attack, before the regional governor, Serhii Lysak, confirmed that a missile had reached a residential area of the city, in the center of Ukraine.
In a publication on the social network X, the Ukrainian president, Volodímir Zelenskioffered his “deepest condolences” to the families of the deceased and said the attack shows that Ukraine and its partners need to strengthen the country’s air defenses.
The Russian Defense Ministry, for its part, has released images of what it says are Iskander-M tactical missiles attacking a division of the Ukrainian S-300PT air defense system near Polivyanein the Poltava region.
Biden and Zelensky will sign a security agreement
These latest developments come as the White House has announced that the American president, Joe Bidenand Zelensky will sign a bilateral security agreement when they meet at the G7 summit in Italy this week.
Washington says the goal of the agreement is send a signal to Russia of the firm intention of the United States to support kyiv. White House National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan said the agreement would not involve a commitment to directly involve US troops in the defense of Ukraine against Russian invasiona red line drawn by Biden, who fears being dragged into a direct conflict between the two nuclear-armed powers.
“We want to demonstrate that the United States stands with the people of Ukraine, that we stand with them and that we will continue to help address their security needs,” Sullivan said, adding that “This agreement will demonstrate our determination“.
