Russia pounds Kyiv as Rubio urges Ukraine's Zelensky to 'focus' on ending the war

The Russian Defence Ministry said on Monday its forces had carried out a "massive strike" on targets in Kyiv and the Ukraine's capital region.

The ministry said the attack targeted military-industrial facilities, storage sites for cruise missiles and drones, and data centres.

The latest attacks came as US Secretary of State Marco Rubio denied that there had been any suspension of intelligence sharing with Ukraine and called on President Volodymyr Zelensky to "focus" on ending the war with Russia.

"What he should be focused on and what we want to be focused on is bringing an end to this war," Rubio said while on a trip to Uzbekistan for talks with Central Asian leaders.

He said there had been no "pause" in the sharing of intelligence as Kyiv authorities have claimed.

US President Donald Trump, who made a deal with Russia to secure fuel exports in exchange for the easing of sanctions, has made renewed attacks on Zelensky in recent days over the war.

The US leader wrote on his Truth Social platform on Sunday that he was making "great progress" in negotiating peace between Russia and Ukraine, but claimed: "Zelensky doesn't care, and frankly, with all of the money that Europe is famously giving him... he doesn't want to end this war, and probably never did."

"Zelensky is using Diesel Refineries in Russia as a target, knowing that these attacks are seriously hurting the world diesel markets, including those in the United States," Trump said.

(FRANCE 24 with AFP, Reuters)