He was gunned down outside of his children’s school.

He was gunned down outside of his children’s school.

Vladimir Putin has made a rare visit to the front lines amid a deadly drone attack on a Ukrainian military training camp.

Devastating missile and drone strikes in the Sumy region of Ukraine have killed at least six Ukrainian soldiers carrying out training exercises, with ‘more than 10 wounded’.

Despite stop-start ceasefire talks brokered by the US, Putin has unleashed several attacks on both civilian and military targets, killing nine people in a strike on a bus and targeting several residential buildings and warehouses.

Ukraine also struck Russia overnight in the most intense strikes since the most recent call between Putin and US President Donald Trump, hitting a semiconductor factory and an ammunition warehouse.

There are concerns that the decision to hold military training exercises less than 30miles from the Russian border may have enabled the pinpoint strike.

Ukrainian MP Oleksiy Goncharenko blamed ‘those who decided to conduct military training practically on the front line’ for the strike, adding: ‘People are no longer valued at all.

‘From orders to remain surrounded by training grounds next to the enemy.

‘This is not the first or second time something like this has happened.

‘So far, no one has been held accountable. This is bull****. There are no other words.’

The Russian Defence Ministry claims up to 70 Ukrainian servicemen, including 20 instructors, an ammunition depot and equipment were ‘destroyed’ in the attack.

The Ukrainian National Guard said: ‘An official investigation into the tragedy is underway.

‘The commander of the unit has been suspended, and the necessary information has been passed to law enforcement agencies.’

Meanwhile across the border in Kursk region, Putin paid a visit close to the war zone to speak to locals and regional officials.

He also visited the Kursk Nuclear Power Plant-2, which is currently under construction, in the secret visit which wasn’t disclosed until he had already left.

Putin drank tea with locals and said: ‘It’s been a while that I wanted to visit [Kursk region], to talk about your work, to thank you for it, to learn how it’s organised in more detail, and ask questions natural in such circumstances: what needs to be done additionally to help and support you?’

Trump has not ruled out new sanctions against Russia, but is yet to impose them after Putin refused to agree to an immediate ceasefire.

‘It will be my decision, no one else’s, we’ll see what Russia does, how it behaves,’ he said.

US secretary of state Marco Rubio said: ‘The main problem is that Russia wants something it doesn’t have now and has no right to, and Ukraine wants something it can’t get back by military means. That’s the crux of the problem.’

And Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky thanked Britain for imposing new sanctions on Russia, saying ‘only coercion will work’ and adding: ‘Today there is a British sanction decision, there is also an EU decision, and it would be good if the United States also helped.

‘European partners are already preparing the next steps in this extremely important pressure on Russia to end the war.’

Get in touch with our news team by emailing us at webnews@metro.co.uk.

For more stories like this, check our news page.

Trump expressed his hopes for a ‘productive day’ and a ceasefire in a social media post over the weekend.

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The shelling signalled the Kremlin intends to continue its war in the face of the US president’s bid to stop the relentless killing.

Much of the world has been affected by Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine (Picture: AP/Getty)

Since Russian tanks first rolled into Ukraine in February 2022, tremors have been felt far beyond.

More than three years on, Vladimir…

‘Have you seen these men?’

Missing posters would not go amiss in Istanbul where delegations from Ukraine, Russia and America are gathering today for negotiations to end the war.

Two chairs remain empty as Vladimir Putin and Donald Trump chose to opt out of the diplomatic stage.

Volodymyr Zelensky challenged his Russian counterpart to negotiate in-person – but the chances were slim.

It is a stark reminder of his continued distancing from meaningful talksand the deadlock that shows no sign of loosening.

Ukraine’s president will meet Turkey’s Recep Tayyip Erdogan in Ankara, but he made it clear that he will not negotiate with anyone except the Russian leader.

Meanwhile, the man who promised to end the full-scale invasion within 24 hours in the White House is also skipping Istanbul.

Trump’s excuse is his ongoing Middle East tour. In Qatar, the Republican was questioned by the media about Putin’s no-show.

In response, he said: ‘Why would he go if I am not going? I did not think it was possible for Putin to go if I’ am not there.’

The US president said he could still travel to Turkey tomorrow if progress is made today.

‘If something happened, I would go on Friday if it was appropriate,’ Trump promised.

This means his absence – or presence, likely to collect accolades – could be used to interpret which way the scale is tipping.

‘We can help the world psychologically. So we think we are going to do well with Russia-Ukraine,’ he had said earlier.

Trump said a day earlier that he would go to Turkey for the talks if Putin did show up.

There are fears the negotiations will again fall through if both leaders are not present.

Instead, Putin is sending a more junior delegation, a calculated move that Estonian foreign minister Margus Tsahkna described as a ‘slap in the face’.

Zelensky also it looks ‘more like a sham level’, adding: ‘We will think about what we will do and what our next steps will be after talking with president Erdogan.

‘We must understand what level the Russian delegation is and what their mandate is, whether they are able to make something themselves, as weall know who in Russia makes the decisions.’

Finnish minister of foreign affairs, Elina Valtonen, who is arriving at a Nato meeting in Antalya, said: ‘When it is about peace, a ceasefire, and how to end the war, we have one chair empty, which is the chair of Vladimir Putin.’

She added: ‘I guess that the world has realised there is only one party not willing to engage in serious peace negotiations and that certainly is Russia.’

Ukraine has declared ‘time and again’ its willingness for a 30-day ceasefire and to end a war ‘it didn’t start in the first place’ but ‘Russia is not available’, she continued.

Details about when and where the Ukrainian delegation might meet their Russian counterparts are still unclear.

It is expected to be clarified after Zelensky and Erdogan meet, according to a Ukrainian official who requested anonymity to speak openly about the plan.

Get in touch with our news team by emailing us at webnews@metro.co.uk.

For more stories like this, check our news page.

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The Russian President has used offensive language against the west.

‘Disinformation goes so far as to make a simply tissue look like drugs’.

‘Disinformation goes so far as to make a simply tissue look like drugs’.

Zelenskyy’s insists Russia implement a ceasefire beforehand.

Zelenskyy’s insists Russia implement a ceasefire beforehand.

(From L) Poland’s prime minister Donald Tusk, Ukraine’s president Volodymyr Zelensky, Britain’s prime minister Keir Starmer, France’s president Emmanuel Macron, Olena Zelenska and Germany’s chancellor Friedrich M…

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