Russian drone strikes on two districts of the Ukrainian city of Kharkiv killed three people and injured scores of others early on June 11 as European leaders converged on the southern port city of Odesa for a summit.
Kharkiv Mayor Igor Terekhov said there were 17 drone strikes, including direct hits on multistory buildings, private homes, playgrounds, enterprises, and public transport.
The intense strikes sparked fires in 15 units in a five-story building in the Slobidskiy district, and several houses were hit in the Osnovyanskiy district, Terekhov said.
"Apartments are burning, roofs are destroyed, cars are burnt, windows are broken," he said, adding that people may be trapped under the rubble.
"We are holding on. We are helping each other. And we will definitely survive," Terekhov said. "Kharkiv is Ukraine. And it cannot be broken."
Regional Governor Oleh Synyehubov said the death toll rose to three after a 65-year-old man died after suffering extensive burns from a fire sparked by the attacks.
Nine of the injured, including a 2-year-old girl and a 15-year-old boy, have been hospitalized, Synyehubov added on Telegram.
Russia has escalated its bombardments of Ukraine despite negotiations to end the violence that so far have yielded no breakthroughs as Moscow continues to reject calls for an unconditional cease-fire.
The attack followed other large assaults on Kharkiv and other Ukrainian cities within the last week amid intensified bombardments that Moscow said were in retaliation for drone attacks that destroyed dozens of long-range bomber aircraft across Russia.
Despite the attacks, Odesa, which was pummeled by deadly air strikes earlier this week, was set to host senior politicians and leaders from 12 European nations as part of the Southeastern Europe summit.
Guests at the summit, which will address security concerns in the region, include leaders from Romania, Moldova, Greece, North Macedonia, Croatia, and Serbia, among others.
The attendance by Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic, in power for 12 years, will mark his first visit to Ukraine since Russia launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022.
Seen as an ally of Moscow, Belgrade has refused to join international sanctions against Russia. But with European aspirations, it has also condemned the war in Ukraine and the country's territorial integrity.
Meanwhile in Washington, US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said the United States budget for 2026 will scale back military aid to Ukraine.
"This administration takes a very different view of that conflict," Hegseth told a congressional committee on June 10. "We believe that a negotiated peaceful settlement is in the best interest of both parties and our nation's interests."
Ukrainian Foreign Ministry spokesman Heorhiy Tykhiy said earlier that military aid from the United States continues to arrive, and Ukrainian diplomats are working to ensure that it continues.
US Ambassador to NATO Matthew Whitaker said on June 4 that the Trump administration has not yet made decisions on future assistance to Ukraine as it remains "focused on preserving President Trump's ability to end hostilities."
Most of the questions for Hegseth from members of the committee were about the deployment of about 700 Marines to Los Angeles to assist more than 4,100 National Guard troops in protecting federal buildings and personnel amid protests against immigration enforcement operations.
Hegseth suggested that the controversial use of US military troops inside the United States will expand.
“I think we’re entering another phase, especially under President Trump with his focus on the homeland, where the National Guard and Reserves become a critical component of how we secure that homeland,” he said.
