Russia bombs art school where Ukrainians took refuge, Zelenskyy urges meaningful negotiations

The bombing is the second such attack on civilians in a week.
Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelenskyy holds a press conference on Russia's military operation in Ukraine, on February 25, 2022 in Kyiv.

Russian forces on Sunday bombed an art school sheltering 400 people in Mariupol, the second such attack on civilians in a week as Ukrainian officials pleaded for meaningful negotiations with Moscow.

Ukrainians authorities did not have an estimate on casualties in the besieged port city, where Russia over the weekend inserted ground forces after weeks of bombing. The attack on the art school came after a similar missile attack struck a theater with 1,000 civilians in Mariupol on Wednesday,

“To do this to a peaceful city, what the occupiers did, is a terror that will be remembered for centuries to come,” Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said. “The more Russia uses terror against Ukraine, the worse the consequences for it.”

Zelenskyy urged Russia to enter "meaningful negotiations for peace."

"It's time to meet. Time to talk. It is time to restore territorial integrity and justice for Ukraine. Otherwise, Russia's losses will be so huge that several generations will not be enough to rebound."