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| Rescuers clearing the rubble of the children's hospital |
US President Joe Biden condemned a Russian airstrike that killed at least 38 people in Ukraine, saying it was a "horrible reminder of Russia's brutality" and vowed to strengthen Kiev's air defenses.
At least 190 people were injured across the country, including some in the capital Kyiv, in children's hospitals on Monday. Russia has denied that shots were fired at a hospital in Kiev, but the UN says it is possible that Moscow may have carried out the bombing - this is the conclusion of investigators telling BBC Verify. It comes as Mr Biden prepares to host a NATO summit in Washington on Tuesday. The President of the United States said that the air defense capabilities of Ukraine will be announced further at the meeting. The leaders of NATO, their allies and 32 European Union countries will meet to celebrate the 75th anniversary of the organization. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyi is also hopeful. For months, he has been urging his Western allies to increase their air defenses amid increasing Russian attacks. According to UN officials, May was the deadliest month for civilians in almost a year. focuses on the surface is the defense against the Russian invasion of Ukraine and the prevention of the situation. Ukraine is not a member of NATO, but requested to join as soon as possible after the end of the war with Russia. According to outgoing NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg, it is important that Ukraine eventually become a member, but not after the war. Russia insisted that Ukraine join the Union, fearing allied forces approaching their territory. "We will announce new measures to strengthen Ukraine's air defenses to help protect their country and civilians from Russian attacks," Biden said. "We will meet with President Zelensky to show that our support for Ukraine is unwavering."
• What is Nato and when might Ukraine join?
At the request of Ukraine, the UN Security Council will meet on Tuesday. UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres joins Western officials in condemning Russia's weapons in Ukraine. Vitalii Klitschko, the mayor of Kyiv, announced that July 9 is a day of mourning after the attack on the capital. According to UN officials, May was the deadliest month for civilians in almost a year.
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| A still from a video shows the moment before a missile hit the children's hospital |
The United Nations has accused Russia of hospital bombings that killed people after shelling hit part of the Ohmatdyt Children's Hospital - Ukraine's largest children's hospital - and is searching for survivors under the rubble. The Kremlin has denied responsibility for the attack, and Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said the explosion was caused by a NASAMS anti-aircraft missile that had been fired incorrectly. But the UN Human Rights Watch in Ukraine said that Russia may have carried out the attack on the children's hospital. officials said that television footage and a search of the area showed that the building was directly hit by a Russian missile. BBC Verify reviewed two videos of a rocket hitting a hospital, each separated from the scene to show where the attack took place. Six of the weapons experts who watched the video agreed that the missile was not an anti-aircraft missile. They all said they couldn't say for sure what type of weapon was used, but they believed it was probably a Russian anti-aircraft missile. According to the Security Service of Ukraine (SBU), four of the six people specifically said that the Russian Kh-101 missile could do so. The agency said on Tuesday it had "irrefutable" evidence that Russia was responsible for the attack. Speaking to the BBC, an expert clearly identified the presence of a small turbofan engine on the rear of the weapon, which is believed to be similar to the Kh-101.
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| Staff and children outside the hospital in Kyiv |
President Zelensky described the attack as barbaric and called his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin a bloodthirsty criminal. Photo taken from the scene of the explosion at the Kyiv cancer and organ transplant hospital shows children's IVs sitting outside the damaged building waiting to be taken out. Mr Zelensky said that Russia had fired more than 40 rockets on Monday which destroyed almost 100 houses in Kyiv, Dnipro, Sloviansk, Kramatorsk and his hometown of Kryvyi Rih. His government in Kiev says it wants the American-made Patriot air defense system. But Western leaders have yet to hand over small air and air-dispersed batteries to NATO's air defense system. Ukraine mourns one day airstrikes by Russian jets Britain is one of Ukraine's most important Western allies and Sir Keir promised that his new government will continue to support Kiev. President Biden will meet at the White House on Wednesday for a NATO meeting. Mr. Peskov told the BBC that the Kremlin will look closely at the meeting. "This is an alliance that has made it clear time and again that its purpose is to deprive Russia of a strategic victory on the battlefield," Peskov said. Meanwhile, Russian officials say a fire broke out at a power plant in the Rostov region, on the border with Ukraine, after an airstrike. governor of the region, Vyacheslav Gladkov, said that four people were killed and 20 others were injured during the attack in Ukraine yesterday.
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