Biden condemns ‘Russian brutality’ after deadly attacks in Ukraine

US President Joe Biden has condemned a wave of Russian missile attacks that killed at least 38 people in Ukraine as a “horrific reminder of Russia’s brutality” and promised to strengthen Kyiv’s air defenses.

At least 190 people were injured across the country, including some at a children’s hospital in the capital Kyiv on Monday.

Russia has denied firing on the Kyiv hospital, but the UN said it was very likely that Moscow was behind the explosion, a conclusion shared by analysts who spoke to BBC Verify.

This comes as Mr Biden prepares to host a NATO summit in Washington on Tuesday.

The US President said that further reinforcements of Ukraine’s air defenses would be announced at the meeting.

The heads of state and government of the 32 NATO member states, their partner countries and the EU are meeting to mark the 75th anniversary of the alliance. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky is also expected to attend.

He has been urging Western allies for months to increase their air defense supplies in the face of increasing Russian attacks. UN officials said May was the month with the highest number of civilian casualties in almost a year.

The focus of the summit is on defense and deterrence in the context of the Russian invasion of Ukraine.

Ukraine is not a NATO member but has asked to join as soon as possible after the end of the war with Russia. Outgoing NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg said it was “inevitable” that Ukraine would join at some point, but only after the war.

Russia strongly opposes Ukraine’s accession to the bloc, fearing that this would bring the alliance’s forces too close to its own territory.

“We will announce new measures to strengthen Ukraine’s air defenses to protect its cities and civilians from Russian attacks,” Biden said.

“I will meet with President Zelensky to make clear that our support for Ukraine is unwavering.”

At Ukraine’s request, the UN Security Council will also meet on Tuesday.

UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, together with Western politicians, condemned the Russian missile attack on Ukraine.

Following the deadly attacks in the capital, Kyiv Mayor Vitali Klitschko declared July 9 a day of mourning.

UN officials said May was the month with the most civilian casualties in nearly a year.

Two people died in a rocket attack Part of the Ohmatdyt Children’s Hospital razed to the ground – Ukraine’s largest children’s hospital – and the search for survivors under the rubble was completed on Tuesday morning.

The Kremlin denied carrying out the attack, and Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova claimed the explosion was caused by a misfired NASAMS anti-aircraft missile.

But the UN human rights mission in Ukraine said it was very likely that Russia had carried out the attack on the children’s hospital.

According to officials, video footage and a site survey indicated that the building had been hit directly by a Russian missile.

BBC Verify analyzed two videos showing a missile hitting the hospital and geolocated both videos to confirm the impact location.

Six munitions experts who saw the footage agreed that the missile was not an anti-aircraft missile.

They all said they could not be sure about the type of munition used, but agreed it was probably an air-launched Russian missile. Four of the six specifically mentioned a Russian Kh-101 missile as a possibility, which is consistent with the claim of the Ukrainian intelligence service (SBU). The intelligence service said on Tuesday it had “clear” evidence that Russia was behind the attack.

Speaking to the BBC, one expert specifically pointed out the presence of a small turbofan engine at the tail of the rocket, which he believes is consistent with the Kh-101.

President Zelensky called the attack “brutal” and described his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin as a “bloody criminal.”

Images from the scene of the explosion at the Kyiv hospital – which specializes in cancer treatment and organ transplants – show children hooked up to IV drips sitting outside the damaged facility, waiting to be evacuated.

Mr Zelensky said Russia fired more than 40 missiles on Monday, damaging nearly 100 buildings in Kyiv, Dnipro, Sloviansk, Kramatorsk and his hometown of Kryvyi Rih.

His government in Kiev says it urgently needs new American-made Patriot air defense systems. But Western politicians are hesitant to hand over more of the few surface-to-air batteries that NATO has.

The new British Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer also condemned the attack and called it “the most reprehensible of all acts”.

Britain is one of Ukraine’s key Western allies and Sir Keir has vowed that his new government will continue to support Kyiv. He will meet President Biden on Wednesday on the sidelines of the NATO summit at the White House.

Mr Peskov told the BBC that the Kremlin would follow the meeting “extremely closely”.

“It is an alliance that has repeatedly and openly stated that its goal is to inflict a strategic defeat on Russia on the battlefield,” Peskov said.

Meanwhile, Russian authorities said a fire broke out at a substation in the Rostov region on the border with Ukraine following night-time drone attacks.

The regional governor said four people had been killed and 20 injured in Ukrainian attacks in recent days.

Additional reporting by Benedict Garman.