A Russian strike on Sunday killed 32 people, including two children, and injured many more in the city of Sumy in northeastern Ukraine.

Ukraine said Russia launched ballistic missiles on Sumy's city Centre on Palm Sunday.

The attack came two days after US ambassador Steve Witkoff visited Russia to speak with its leader, Vladimir Putin, and despite US President Donald Trump's calls for Moscow to cease the war, according to AFP.

Sumy is on the Russian border and has been under increasing pressure in recent weeks.

Rescuers said the strike hit the city centre "right when there were many people on the street."

It is one of the deadliest attacks by Russia in Ukraine in recent months as Moscow pushes on with its more than three-year-long invasion of its neighbor, AFP reported.

Moscow has not yet commented on the strike.