Volodymyr Zelensky demands Vladimir Putin meet with him after latest onslaught

President Volodymyr Zelensky has renewed his call to meet deadly foe Russian President Vladimir Putin hours after his cities were again bombed overnight. Hopes for an end to the war are low as both bitter sides prepared for a third round of peace talks and Russia again pounded Ukraine overnight with drones and missiles.

A child died in the onslaught which also caused multiple injuries and the Ukrainian President demanded a meeting with Putin which so far has been spurned by the Kremlin. At least 24 people were hurt in the blasts across Ukraine despite US President Donald Trump ’s demands for a move towards peace as Putin presses on with his invasion.

The previous two rounds of talks were held in Istanbul, and Russian media reports said the Turkish city likely would also host the meeting this time. Previous talks in May and June led to a series of exchanges of prisoners of war and the bodies of fallen soldiers but produced no other agreements.

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Russia is driving hard to break through at eastern and northeastern points on the 620-mile front line, unleashing upwards of 700 drones a night at Ukrainian cities. Mr Zelensky said: “Ukraine never wanted this war and it is Russia that must end the war that itself started.

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said that “a lot of work needs to be done before having a detailed discussion on a possibility of high-level meetings.” The Russian official’s statement dampened hopes of a summit happening imminently.

From dusk on Monday evening, Russia struck the Ukrainian regions of Sumy in the northeast, Odesa in the south and eastern Kramatorsk. In Kramatorsk, a glide bomb hit an apartment building, starting a fire, according to the head of the city's military administration, Oleksandr Honcharenko.

A boy born in 2015 was killed, local officials said, without giving his exact age. Five other people were reported wounded.

The Sumy region came under multiple waves of attacks, the regional military administration reported. A drone hit a gas station in the town of Putyvl, wounding four people, including a 5-year-old boy, it said.

A second drone strike hit the same location less than two hours later, wounding seven more. After dark, two powerful Russian glide bombs were dropped on Sumy city, wounding 13 people, including a 6-year-old boy.

According to regional authorities, five apartment buildings, two private homes and a shopping mall were damaged in the attack. Acting Mayor Artem Kobzar said the blasts shattered windows and destroyed balconies in residential buildings.

And on Tuesday, Russia's Defence Ministry said air defences downed 35 Ukrainian long-range drones over several regions overnight, including three over the Moscow region. President Volodymyr Zelensky has appointed a Ukrainian delegation to lead negotiations with Russia, even though Moscow confirmed a date has not been settled upon, and signalled upcoming prisoner exchanges based on previous talks.

It will be led by National Security and Defense Council Secretary Rustem Umerov and include representatives from Ukraine's military intelligence, the Foreign Ministry, and the Presidential Office. "I held a meeting on the outcomes Ukraine needs from the negotiation efforts," Zelensky said. "Our position is fully transparent. Ukraine never wanted this war, and it is Russia that must end the war that it started."

Umerov reported on the implementation of agreements from the second round of talks held with Russia in Istanbul and confirmed that preparations are underway for a third meeting. Zelensky emphasised Ukraine's readiness to work "as productively as possible" in pursuit of concrete outcomes.