Ukraine updates: Zelenskyy invites Biden, Xi to peace summit

Russia's Defense Ministry said its forces have captured a village in the northeastern Kharkiv region.

The ministry hailed "successful combat actions" that led to the capture of the village of Berestove.

Berestove is located near the Luhansk region, which is largely under Russian control.

On Friday, Ukraine said that it had managed to halt a Russian offensive in the Kharkiv region.

German Chancellor Olaf Scholz is resisting a possible expansion of Western military support for Ukraine, saying he does not support allowing the Ukrainian military to use German weapons to attack targets in Russia. 

"We have clear rules agreed with Ukraine for the arms deliveries we have made so far. And they work. At least that's my theory," Scholz said at an event in Berlin marking the 75th anniversary of Germany's constitution, or Basic Law.

Germany has been supplying Ukraine with long-range artillery such as the Mars II rocket launcher, which has a range of more than 80 kilometers (almost 50 miles), since Russia invaded Ukraine more than two years ago. 

However, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy says Ukrainian forces are prohibited from using Western weapons to strike targets inside Russia. Ukraine has only been able to hit targets in Russia with drones of its own production.

Scholz has also repeatedly refused to arm Ukraine with German-made Taurus long-range missiles.

European Council President Charles Michel has condemned Russia's "atrocious" air strike on a hardware store in the Ukrainian city of Kharkiv.

"The Russian strike on a Kharkiv supermarket is atrocious," Michel said on X, formerly Twitter, possibly confusing the hardware store with the supermarket.

"Russia's efforts to terrorize Ukrainian civilians as part of its war of aggression against Ukraine are criminal," he added. "Together, we can stop Russia's brutal attacks. We need to urgently advance on a comprehensive air defense solution for Ukraine."

At least 16 people died in Saturday's strike.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy invited US President Joe Biden and Chinese President Xi Jinpin to attend the Global Peace Summit in Switzerland next month.

In a video recorded in the charred remains of a printing press destroyed by a Russian airstrike in the northeastern Ukrainian city of Kharkiv, Zelenskyy spoke in English, saying the summit would "show who in the world really wants to end the war."

"I am appealing to the leaders of the world who are still aside from the global efforts of the Global Peace Summit – to President Biden, the leader of the United States, and to President Xi, the leader of China," he said.

"Please, show your leadership in advancing the peace – the real peace and not just a pause between the strikes... Please support the peace summit with your personal leadership and participation," Zelenskyy added.

The Ukrainian president said more than 80 countries confirmed they would come. "We continue to work with the leaders, inviting them to join the summit," he added.

In the video, Zelenskyy stayed among the burned books in the printing house, which a Russian air strike had hit. "We do not want the UN Charter to be burnt… burnt down just like these books," Zelenskyy said.

Russia has said it does not see the point of attending a conference to which Moscow is not currently invited.

Ukrainian air defenses destroyed 12 missiles and all 31 drones launched by Russia in the latest overnight air assault, the Ukrainian air force said.

The missiles and drones were shot down over parts of southern, central, western and northern Ukraine, the air force said.

In the Khmelnytskyi region, where the Starokostiantyniv air base is located, explosions were reported. 

In the Vinnytsia region, a residential building was the target of a bomb attack, the regional administration said. Governor Serhiy Borzov wrote on Telegram that three people were injured in the attack. 

The Lviv region on the border with Poland was also under attack, Lviv mayor Andriy Sadovyi wrote on Telegram. 

An explosion was also heard near the capital, Kyiv, public broadcaster Suspilne reported. Air raid alerts sounded across the country. 

The heavy overnight air raid was preceded by the launch of Tu-95 strategic bombers in Russia, which fired cruise missiles. Later, MiG-31 fighters, that can carry Kinzhal hypersonic missiles, also took off.

The death toll from a Russian airstrike on a hardware store in the northeastern Ukrainian city of Kharkiv has risen to 16 people, the regional governor, Oleh Syniehubov, said.

Two guided bombs hit the Epicentr home improvement store in a residential area of the city on Saturday afternoon, according to Syniehubov.

The strikes caused a massive fire. A column of thick, black smoke rose hundreds of meters into the air.

Forty-three people were injured, the local prosecutor's office said. According to Kharkiv Mayor Ihor Terekhov, about 120 people were in the hardware store when the bombs struck.

In a post on the Telegram app, Ukraine's Interior Minister Ihor Klymenko said 16 people were still missing after the strike.

dh/lo (AP, AFP, dpa, Reuters)