The US Department of State has commented on Russia's missile attack on the city of Pokrovsk in Donetsk Oblast, which claimed the lives of at least 9 people.

Matthew Miller, US State Department Spokesperson, replying during a briefing to whether the State Department believes that this is Russia's response to the peace summit held over the weekend, he said, "we’ve seen the Russians target civilian infrastructure" in Ukraine for a long time.

"They have done that consistently since the beginning of the war. So I wouldn’t necessarily put two and two together and say it was a response to – it was a direct response to the talks that went on about securing a just and lasting peace," Miller added.

Meanwhile, he said the attacks are "a reflection of Russia’s refusal to engage in real peace negotiations".

On the evening of 7 August, Russia fired two missiles – presumably short-range ballistic missile Iskander – on a residential building and a hotel in Pokrovsk. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said nine people were killed.

On 8 August, European Commission spokesman Peter Stano condemned Russia's missile attack on Pokrovsk, stressing that "there will be no impunity."

Earlier, Marija Pejčinović Burić, Council of Europe Secretary General, condemned the Russian missile attack on Pokrovsk, saying, "these crimes must not go unpunished".