The purpose of their offensive actions—which have started in recent days and are planned on other fronts—is to create pressure for favorable positions at the negotiation table,” Zelenskyy said during a briefing.

In the aftermath of the strike, Volodymyr Zelenskiy called on the U.S. and Europe to get tough on Russia in response to what he described as terrorism.

Two Russian ballistic missiles struck the city of Sumy on Sunday, killing 34 people and wounding 117 in one of the deadliest strikes of the war. A video posted on social media by the Ukrainian president showed bodies strewn in the middle of a city street near a destroyed bus and burnt-out cars.