President Trump has stated Russia’s lethal missile assault on the Ukrainian metropolis of Sumy was “a mistake,” calling it a “horrible factor” whilst members of his administration went additional with condemnation that served as a uncommon critique of Moscow whereas the White Home is pushing for a cease-fire.
Two ballistic missiles hit the middle of Sumy on Sunday morning, killing not less than 34 individuals and injuring greater than 100. The assault was the second in just over a week to cause large numbers of civilian casualties in Ukraine, which Kyiv has stated reveals that the Moscow isn’t actually interested by stopping the preventing regardless of U.S.-led negotiations for a truce.
“I feel it was horrible. And I used to be instructed they made a mistake. However I feel it’s a horrible factor,” Mr. Trump stated concerning the Sumy assault when he was aboard Air Pressure One on Sunday.
It was not instantly clear what Mr. Trump meant when he stated he had been “instructed” Russia had “made a mistake” — a formulation that is also interpreted as an try and make excuses for Moscow. Mr. Trump has typically averted criticizing President Vladimir V. Putin of Russia since taking workplace in January.
Some prime officers within the Trump administration have been extra specific. Keith Kellogg, a retired U.S. normal and Mr. Trump’s particular envoy for Ukraine, said that Russian forces had crossed “any line of decency” by concentrating on civilians in Sumy. Secretary of State Marco Rubio additionally condemned what he described as a “horrifying Russian missile assault on Sumy.”
“This can be a tragic reminder of why President Trump and his Administration are placing a lot effort and time into making an attempt to finish this struggle and obtain sturdy peace,” Mr. Rubio wrote on social media.
The condemnations got here because the U.S. efforts to dealer a cease-fire have didn’t yield outcomes. In latest days, White Home officers have stated that Russia was running out of time to convince the Trump administration that it is serious about striking a peace deal — and never simply taking part in for time.
Mr. Zelensky, together with different prime Ukrainian officers, has stated that Russia is slow-walking the negotiations as a result of it has no real interest in halting the preventing whereas its military retains the benefit on the battlefield.
In an interview broadcast on Sunday however recorded earlier than the assault on Sumy, Mr. Zelensky invited Mr. Trump to Ukraine to witness the realities of the struggle firsthand.
“Come, look, after which let’s transfer with a plan on methods to end the struggle. You’ll perceive with whom you’ve a deal. You’ll perceive what Putin did,” Mr. Zelensky told “60 Minutes” on CBS.
Mr. Zelensky was talking with the broadcaster from Kryvyi Rih, his residence metropolis, the place a Russian missile strike killed 19 people, including nine children, earlier this month.
“We respect your place,” he added, apparently a reference to Mr. Trump’s efforts to revive ties with Russia. “However, please, earlier than making any selections or plans for negotiations, come to see the individuals, civilians, warriors, hospitals, church buildings, kids destroyed or useless.”
Ukrainian officers stated that Russian missiles hit Sumy, simply 18 miles from the Russian border, as many individuals have been out on the streets celebrating Palm Sunday, a Christian vacation broadly noticed in Ukraine. Movies of the aftermath confirmed scenes of devastation, with bloodied our bodies mendacity immobile on the street and charred automobiles.
“There was a woman, perhaps 14 years previous — useless. A younger girl — I gained’t even describe the accidents, they have been horrific. One other middle-aged girl had her jaw torn off,” stated Volodymyr Boiko, a 69-year-old resident of Sumy who was in a bus hit by the blast wave. He suffered cuts to his face from flying shards.
The strike got here simply two days after Mr. Trump’s particular envoy, Steve Witkoff, met with Mr. Putin in St. Petersburg to debate a possible cease-fire.
The timing led some in Ukraine to counsel that Mr. Trump’s makes an attempt to re-engage with Russia have been solely emboldening the Kremlin to proceed its aggression. On Sunday, memes proliferated on Ukrainian social media displaying Mr. Witkoff shaking Mr. Putin’s hand with the carnage in Sumy as a backdrop.
In his nightly address on Sunday, Mr. Zelensky famous that it had been two months since Russia had refused to conform to the unconditional cease-fire that Ukraine had accepted with U.S. urging.
“They aren’t afraid. That’s why they hold launching ballistic missiles,” he stated. “Solely strain — solely decisive motion — can change this.”
