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 at the very least 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 fascinated with stopping the combating regardless of U.S.-led negotiations for a truce.
“I feel it was horrible. And I used to be informed they made a mistake. However I feel it’s a horrible factor,” Mr. Trump stated concerning the Sumy assault when he was aboard Air Power One on Sunday.
It was not instantly clear what Mr. Trump meant when he stated he had been “informed” Russia had “made a mistake” — a formulation that may be interpreted as an try to make excuses for Moscow. Mr. Trump has typically prevented criticizing President Vladimir V. Putin of Russia since taking workplace in January.
Some high officers within the Trump administration have been extra express. Keith Kellogg, a retired U.S. common 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.”
“It is a tragic reminder of why President Trump and his Administration are placing a lot effort and time into attempting 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 did not yield outcomes. In current 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 high Ukrainian officers, has stated that Russia is slow-walking the negotiations as a result of it has little interest in halting the combating 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 how one can end the struggle. You’ll perceive with whom you will have 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 choices or plans for negotiations, come to see the individuals, civilians, warriors, hospitals, church buildings, youngsters destroyed or lifeless.”
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 lady, possibly 14 years outdated — lifeless. 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 comply with the unconditional cease-fire that Ukraine had accepted with U.S. urging.
“They don’t seem to be afraid. That’s why they hold launching ballistic missiles,” he stated. “Solely stress — solely decisive motion — can change this.”
