On Sunday, two Russian ballistic missiles slammed into Sumy, a city in northern Ukraine. The attack killed 34 people and wounded 117. Officials said it was the deadliest strike on Ukraine this year.
President Volodymyr Zelenskiy demanded a tough international response against Moscow. This attack occurred while U.S. President Donald Trump’s push to end the war struggled.
Leaders of Britain, Germany, and Italy condemned the attack. When asked about the Russian strike, Trump said it was terrible.
“And I was told they made a mistake,” he said, without elaborating. “But I think it’s a horrible thing.”
Dead bodies lay strewn on the ground near a destroyed bus and burnt-out cars. Zelenskiy posted a video of the scene on social media.
“Only scoundrels can act like this, taking the lives of ordinary people,” Zelenskiy said. He noted the attack occurred on Palm Sunday when people were going to church.
Yevhen, a 27-year old PhD student, declined to give his surname. He said he had no words for what happened.
“You know, the people who are fighting against us always say that they are Orthodox (Christian) believers, that they believe in God, but we have experienced first-hand terrorism today,” he said.
German leaders said the attacks showed how Russian President Vladimir Putin responds to ceasefire proposals.
“These attacks show just what Russia’s supposed readiness for peace is worth,” German Chancellor Olaf Scholz wrote on social media.
Chancellor-in-waiting Friedrich Merz told ARD the attack on Sumy was “clearly a war crime … There is no greater example of perfidy: a targeted and planned war crime”.
Zelenskiy urged Trump to visit Ukraine in an interview with CBS News’ “60 Minutes” aired on Sunday.
“Please come to see people, civilians, warriors, hospitals, churches, children, destroyed or dead,” Zelenskiy said in a video clip the program posted on social media.
During the Friday interview, Zelenskiy was asked if the United States had Ukraine’s back.
After a pause, Zelenskiy replied, “Even in this pause of mine, there’s a problem, because I want to answer truthfully and quickly that the United States is our strategic, strong partner,” he said.
“But the pause is doubt. I don’t doubt that the people of America are with us, but in a long war, many details are forgotten.”
He called on the United States to provide forces as part of an international peacekeeping effort. He specifically asked Washington to help protect Ukrainian airspace with aircraft.
Under Trump’s administration, U.S. officials have held separate talks with Kremlin and Kyiv officials. They have sought to move towards a cessation of hostilities in Ukraine.
Russian authorities did not immediately respond to a Reuters request for comment. Russia denies targeting civilians. However, thousands have been killed and injured since their full-scale invasion of Ukraine began in February 2022.
A separate Russian drone attack injured five people in Odesa, a Black Sea port city, late on Sunday. Regional officials said the attack also damaged a medical facility.
These attacks followed a missile strike on Kryvyi Rih, Zelenskiy’s hometown. This strike occurred this month and killed 20 people, including nine children. The city is far from the front lines.
Sumy, located just over 25 km from the Russian border, has a population of around a quarter of a million. It became a garrison city when Kyiv’s forces launched an incursion into Russia in August.
Sumy’s acting mayor, Artem Kobzar, announced three days of mourning for the victims starting from Monday.
Interior Minister Ihor Klymenko said people were on the street, in cars, public transport, or buildings when the missiles hit. “Deliberate destruction of civilians on an important church feast day,” he wrote.
Andriy Yermak, Zelenskiy’s chief of staff, said the missiles contained cluster munitions. “The Russians are doing this to kill as many civilians as possible,” he said.
Maryana Bezuhla, a Ukrainian lawmaker, suggested on Telegram that the attack happened because information about a gathering of soldiers leaked out.
Reuters could not verify this information. Bezuhla did not post evidence.
Local resident Pavriz Manakhov told Reuters that he had not seen soldiers in the area. “We live in the city centre, there is no military base, there are no soldiers here,” Manakhov said.
Russia currently holds nearly 20% of Ukraine’s territory in the east and south. Its forces have been slowly advancing in the east.
Ukraine’s Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha said Kyiv was “sharing detailed information about this war crime with all of our partners and international institutions.”
The International Criminal Court in The Hague is investigating alleged war crimes in the conflict. Ukraine officially joined the court this year.
The U.S. said it reached agreements with Russia and Ukraine in late March. These agreements included two ceasefire accords, one banning strikes on each other’s energy infrastructure. Both sides have repeatedly accused each other of breaking these moratoriums.
On Sunday, Russia’s defense ministry accused Ukraine of carrying out two attacks on Russian energy infrastructure the previous day. Witkoff, Trump’s special envoy, held talks with Putin on Friday in St. Petersburg. They discussed finding a Ukraine peace deal. Trump told Russia to “get moving.”
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