At least five people, including a one-year-old child, were killed in a Russian drone strike on the northern Ukrainian city of Pryluky overnight, regional governor Viacheslav Chaus said Thursday.

US President Donald Trump has said President Vladimir Putin told him in a phone call that Russia will "respond" to Ukraine’s Spiderweb drone attack.

The readout of the pope's call with Vladimir Putin was unusual for the Vatican, which does not always issue statements about papal phone calls.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy on Wednesday dismissed Russia’s ceasefire proposal as “an ultimatum” and renewed his call for direct talks with Russian President Vladimir Putin to break the deadlock over the war,

The American pontiff’s historic phone conversation with Vladimir Putin underscores the Vatican’s hopes to play a bigger role.

Russian President Vladimir Putin discussed the war in Ukraine with Pope Leo in a telephone call on Wednesday, claiming he wanted peace through diplomacy.

It also roughly chimes with attempts by Russian independent media, such as Meduza and Mediazona, to count the bodies. By this time last year, Meduza reckoned that 106,000-140,000 Russian soldiers had died.

Pope Leo urged Russia to take steps towards ending the conflict in Ukraine when he spoke to President Vladimir Putin for the first time, the Vatican said on Wednesday.

Russian President Vladimir Putin and US President Donald Trump discussed the India-Pakistan conflict, along with a range of global issues. Trump also provided updates on negotiations regarding Ukraine and Iran’s nuclear program,