Ukraine strikes Russian border town Belgorod ahead of Paris talks

A Ukrainian drone strike killed one person and wounded two others, including a young child, in the Russian border region of Belgorod on Sunday, just days before scheduled peace talks in Paris aimed at ending the nearly four‑year‑long war, regional officials said. Belgorod regional governor Vyacheslav Gladkov said the strike hit a car, and the child was among those taken to hospital with injuries.

Across the border in Ukraine, authorities reported more violence overnight. Three people were wounded in drone strikes in the northeastern Kharkiv region, the country’s State Emergency Service said, adding to a pattern of frequent attacks on civilian and military targets in densely populated areas near the front line .

In Kharkiv city itself, the death toll from a Russian missile attack climbed to four after rescue workers found two more bodies under rubble, regional head Oleh Syniehubov wrote on Telegram, highlighting the sustained toll of Russian long‑range strikes on civilian infrastructure.

The latest violence comes as a US‑led diplomatic push to revive peace talks gains momentum. National security advisers from Europe and other allied nations visited Kyiv on Saturday to discuss security guarantees and economic support ahead of formal negotiations set for this week in Paris. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said Ukraine had now shared all relevant documents under discussion with the 18 visiting advisers, including detailed proposals on future security guarantees.

Zelenskyy, preparing to travel to Paris for talks with international partners, said representatives from Ukraine’s General Staff and military sector will meet in the French capital on Monday, followed by a summit of European leaders on Tuesday where he hopes a framework for security guarantees can be finalised. He also said there would be meetings with US representatives in Paris focused on support for Kyiv and long‑term defence commitments.

The talks follow broader diplomatic efforts in recent weeks to shape a peace plan that includes robust security arrangements for Ukraine. Reports in international media suggest proposals on the table could include multi‑year security guarantees backed by Western allies, potentially involving cease‑fire monitoring and coordinated responses if hostilities resume. These issues remain contentious, especially with Moscow’s continued military pressure and claims that Western support helps prolong the conflict.

Both sides continue to deny deliberately targeting civilians , even as strikes on population centers and border towns have repeatedly caused civilian casualties. The violence underscores the challenges facing diplomats as they seek to translate negotiations into a lasting cease‑fire and eventual peace settlement.