Russia's claims that Ukraine is delaying exchange of soldiers' bodies are untrue, Ukrainian officials said on Saturday, urging Moscow to stop "playing dirty games" and return to constructive work. Kremlin aide Vladimir Medinsky said on Saturday that Ukraine had unexpectedly postponed exchanging prisoners of war and accepting the bodies of killed soldiers for an indefinite period.

Russia's military released the statement after Ukrainian officials said Russia had launched an intense missile and drone barrage at Kyiv, the Ukrainian capital, in the early hours of Friday and that three people had been killed.

The air assault killed at least three people. Kharkiv’s mayor described it as “the most powerful attack” since the beginning of the war.

Overnight missile and bomb strikes by Russia on the Ukrainian city of Kharkiv left three people dead and 22 hurt, while a Ukrainian drone attack in the Moscow region wounded two people, officials from both countries said separately on Saturday.

China said on Saturday it was willing to accelerate the examination and approval of rare earth exports to European Union firms.

President Trump spoke with Russia's Vladimir Putin yesterday, who vowed strong retaliation for Ukraine’s drone attacks deep inside Russia. NBC News’ Keir Simmons reports more. Igor Novikov, former Advisor to Ukrainian President Zelenskyy,