Russia-Ukraine war live: Biden attacks Putin in NATO speech after “hellish attack” on Kyiv children’s hospital

There is a “high probability” that Kyiv’s largest children’s hospital was directly hit by a Russian missile in a series of air strikes on Ukrainian cities, a UN human rights mission said.

“Analysis of the video footage and an on-site assessment indicate with a high degree of probability that the children’s hospital suffered a direct hit and was not damaged by an intercepted weapons system,” said the UN human rights monitoring mission in Ukraine.

Ukrainian intelligence said it had clear evidence that the medical facility had been hit by a Russian Kh-101 cruise missile during the deadliest series of attacks in months, and released images of alleged fragments of the weapon’s engine.

A Russian missile attack on Ukraine’s largest children’s hospital was one of the “most painful” days in the country’s recent history, said the mayor of Kyiv, where the missile struck. The Independent.

Vitali Klitschko, a former heavyweight boxing champion who is now a politician, appeared unusually tired as he described Monday’s events.

“It’s very painful to spend time with parents who can’t find their children and to see them crying,” he said. “We are still working in the rubble to find the missing. I hope we find them alive. There are still many people missing. I call it genocide. Genocide.”

Russia hit the Okhmatdyt children’s hospital with a missile in broad daylight on Monday, July 8, and also rained missiles on other cities in Ukraine, killing at least 41 civilians in the most devastating wave of airstrikes in months.

Parents holding their babies walked dazed and sobbing on the street outside the hospital after the rare airstrike in broad daylight.

Windows had been smashed and paneling torn down, and hundreds of Kyiv residents helped clear away the rubble.

President Volodymyr Zelensky, who stopped off in Poland before traveling to a NATO summit in Washington, put the death toll at 37, including three children.

Volodymyr Zelensky said he could not predict what Donald Trump would do if he became US president again in November. But the whole world, including Russian President Vladimir Putin, is eagerly awaiting the outcome of the election.

“I don’t know (him) very well,” Zelensky said of Trump, adding that he had “good meetings” with him during the Republican candidate’s first term, but said that was before the Russian invasion in 2022.

“I can’t tell you what he will do if he becomes president of the United States. I don’t know.”

Ahead of this week’s NATO summit, the Ukrainian president expressed hope that Trump would not withdraw from the 75-year-old NATO alliance and that America would continue to support Ukraine in defending itself against Russia’s invasion, which has been going on for more than two years.

“Everyone is waiting for November. The Americans are waiting for November, in Europe, in the Middle East, in the Pacific, the whole world is looking to November and, frankly, Putin is also waiting for November,” Zelensky said.

“It’s time to step out of the shadows, make strong decisions… take action and not wait for November or any other month.”

Trump, the likely Republican nominee for the U.S. presidential election in November, has frequently criticized the level of U.S. military support for Ukraine – around $60 billion since Russia’s large-scale invasion in 2022 – and called Zelensky “the greatest salesman of all time.”

The Ukrainian State Security Service (SBU) has presented new evidence that the largest children’s hospital in Kyiv was directly hit by a Russian Kh-101 cruise missile.

“The experts’ conclusions are clear, it was a direct attack,” the SBU said on Telegram.

It shared images of a rocket engine fragment allegedly found at the site. The SBU added that analysis of the trajectory and the nature of the damage caused proves it was a direct hit.

Prime Minister Keir Starmer and his NATO colleagues are meeting in Washington this week to mark the 75th anniversary of the world’s largest security organization, as Russia extends its battlefield lead in Ukraine.

The three-day summit, which begins today, will focus on how to assure Ukraine of NATO’s continued support and give war-weary citizens hope that their country can survive Europe’s largest land conflict in decades.

Much of what NATO can do for Ukraine and for global security is misunderstood. The alliance is often seen as the sum of all the US’s relationships with its European partners, from imposing sanctions and other costs on Russia to supplying weapons and ammunition.

But as an organization, its mission is limited to the military defense of its 32 member countries (according to the sacred oath of the Three Musketeers, “One for all, all for one”) and to the obligation to contribute to the maintenance of peace in Europe and North America.

Russia’s increasing military cooperation with North Korea has underlined the need for Japan to build closer ties with NATO, the Russian president warned.

Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida also expressed concern about Beijing’s alleged role in supporting Moscow’s war in Ukraine.

“The securities of the Euro-Atlantic and Indo-Pacific are inextricably linked, and Russia’s aggression against Ukraine and its deepening military cooperation with North Korea are a stark reminder of this,” Mr Kishida said.

“Japan is committed to strengthening its cooperation with NATO and its partners,” he added.

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi was criticized for greeting Vladimir Putin with his trademark bear hug during the summit in Moscow, even as he made veiled criticism of Russia’s recent missile bombardment of civilians in Ukraine.

The Modi government has pursued a carefully balanced policy on the war in Ukraine – neither criticizing nor condoning it, and expanding trade relations with Russia while seeking closer ties with the West. Some analysts questioned how cordial the two sides would be during Modi’s visit to Moscow.

Modi was given a red carpet welcome upon his arrival at Moscow’s Vnukovo airport on Monday. The two leaders later embraced after a brief handshake as the Indian prime minister arrived at Putin’s residence in Novo-Ogaryovo outside Moscow.