After Saturday’s massive attack on a hardware store in Kharkiv, Ukrainian President Zelenskyy is appealing to world leaders to intervene.
– Show your leadership to promote peace, says Zelensky in a call specifically addressed to the presidents of the United States and China.
At least 14 people were killed and around 40 were injured in the Russian attack on the Epitsentr hardware store in Kharkiv on Saturday. At least 16 people are still missing. The department store was hit by two Russian precision bombs.
Ukrainian President Zelenskyi has called the attack malicious. In a video on Sunday, a desperate president is pleading with the world community to attend a peace summit that begins June 15 in Switzerland.
Appeal to Biden and Xi Jinping
Zelenskyy specifically appeals to the presidents of the United States and China to attend the summit. None of them have yet confirmed their participation.
– We do not want the UN Charter to be burned down. Please show your leadership to promote peace – real peace and not just a break between attacks, Zelenskyy says, among other things, in the video.
The Swiss government has invited 160 delegations to the summit, but Russia will not attend. According to Zelenskyj, over 80 countries have confirmed their participation
Kharkiv is so close to the Russian border that Russian warplanes can drop glide bombs that land on Ukrainian soil.
Glide bombs are Soviet-era bombs that have been rebuilt and updated with fins and satellite navigation systems. They are difficult for the Ukrainian air defense to shoot down.