A Russian attack killed at least 19 people including nine children in the Ukrainian city of Kryvyi Rih on Friday, local officials said, but Russia's Defence Ministry said it targeted a military gathering there.

A Russian ballistic missile strike Friday on the central Ukrainian city of Kryvyi Rih killed at least 14 people and injured more than 50, Ukrainian officials said, as U.S. and European leaders pressed Russia to accept a ceasefire in the conflict.

The Trump administration says it will soon be clear if Russia's Vladimir Putin really wants a peace deal in Ukraine, as France and Britain accuse him of playing for time.

Britain and France have accused Russian President Vladimir Putin of dragging his feet over Ukraine ceasefire talks and ramped up pressure on Moscow by insisting that he owes the United States an immed

The ball regarding a Ukraine ceasefire is in the Russian court, NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte said on Friday after meeting with NATO foreign ministers in Brussels.

Russia was notably absent from the sweeping tariffs that U.S. President Donald Trump announced on Wednesday, which are set to affect almost the entire world. The White House said sanctions imposed on Moscow because of Russian President Vladimir Putin's full-scale invasion of Ukraine had already ensured that there was no meaningful trade between the countries.

U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio said Friday that President Donald Trump does not want to be “drawn into the trap of endless negotiations” with Russia over ending the war in Ukraine, adding that it would soon become clear whether Moscow is serious about peace.