Russia and Ukraine trade airstrikes as reconstruction talks resume in Brussels

Russia and Ukraine exchanged overnight airstrikes as Western and Ukrainian officials met in Brussels to discuss Ukraine’s postwar reconstruction, funding and security guarantees. Ukrainian authorities said 42 bodies had been recovered after Russian bombs struck a school and nearby shelter serving as a humanitarian aid site in Zaporizhzhia, while rescue efforts continued; Russia said it shot down nearly 500 Ukrainian drones. France condemned the attacks, saying Russia had also launched a large missile barrage targeting energy infrastructure and that a hospital in Kharkiv was hit, injuring dozens and prompting patient evacuations. Separately, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy called for European participation in peace negotiations and said Ukraine plans to raise security guarantees, attacks on energy infrastructure, grain exports and prisoner exchanges in consultations involving Ukraine, the United States and Russia.