United States President Donald Trump has branded a Russian ballistic missile attack on the northeastern Ukrainian city of Sumy that killed at least 34 people a “mistake”.
Two missiles struck the heart of the city at about 10:15am (07:15 GMT) as people gathered to celebrate Palm Sunday, the first day of the Christian Holy Week, killing at least 34 people and wounding more than 100, according to officials.
The attack, which Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said had killed two children as well as dozens of others, has been widely condemned.
Trump, who has been accused of siding with Russia as he seeks to oversee a ceasefire between Moscow and Kyiv, called the attack a “horrible thing”.
He added that he had been “told they made a mistake,” however, he did not elaborate when asked to whom he was referring.
Zelensky, who is desperately manoeuvring to avert a US-driven deal tailored to meet Russian demands urged Trump to visit his country before any agreement is reached in ongoing bi-lateral talks between Washington and Moscow.
“Please, before any kind of decisions, any kind of forms of negotiations, come to see people, civilians, warriors, hospitals, churches, children destroyed or dead,” Zelensky said in an interview for CBS’s 60 Minutes programme.
Polish Foreign Minister Radoslaw Sikorski said on Monday that he hoped that, following the attack on Sumy, Trump and his administration would see that Russian President Vladimir Putin was “mocking their goodwill”.
Zelenskyy was quick to call for global leaders to condemn the civilian casualties.
“It is crucial that the world does not stay silent or indifferent. Russian strikes deserve nothing but condemnation,” he wrote on social media. “There must be pressure on Russia to end the war and guarantee security for people.”
The death toll is expected to rise, according to emergency services. There was no immediate comment by Russia.
Videos posted from the scene on official channels showed bodies on the ground amid debris and smoke around central Sumy.
“On this bright Palm Sunday, our community has suffered a terrible tragedy,” Sumy’s acting mayor, Artem Kobzar, said in a statement on social media.
The attack was carried out as the US, under Trump, has intensified efforts for a ceasefire in the war, more than three years after Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine.
Trump’s special envoy to Ukraine, retired Lieutenant General Keith Kellogg, said the Russian attack on civilian targets “crosses any line of decency”.
“As a former military leader, I understand targeting and this is wrong,” Kellogg posted on X.
On Friday, Trump envoy Steve Witkoff met Russian President Vladimir Putin in St Petersburg, Russia. After the talks, which Russian state media said lasted more than four hours, Trump said the discussions aimed at ending the war may be going well, but “there’s a point at which you just have to either put up or shut up”.
After Sunday’s attack, Zelenskyy said talks “have never stopped” ballistic missiles and bombs. “What’s needed is an attitude toward Russia that a terrorist deserves,” he said.
‘Russia alone wants to continue with war’: Macron
Russia and Ukraine have continued to exchange attacks despite agreeing to a US-brokered deal to pause strikes on energy infrastructure, underscoring the challenges of negotiating an end to the conflict.
Ukraine has endorsed a broader US ceasefire proposal, but Russia has effectively blocked it by imposing far-reaching conditions. European governments have accused Putin of dragging his feet.
“Everyone knows it is Russia alone that wants this war,” French President Emmanuel Macron said after the attack on Sumy. “Today it is clear that Russia alone wants to continue with it, showing its scorn for human life, international law and diplomatic efforts made by President Trump.”
Germany’s incoming Chancellor Friedrich Merz said of the strike, “It was a perfidious act.. and it is a serious war crime, deliberate and intended”, in comments to broadcaster ARD.
United Kingdom Prime Minister Keir Starmer said he was “appalled at Russia’s horrific attacks on civilians in Sumy”, adding that Putin “must now agree to a full and immediate ceasefire without conditions”.
Italy’s Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni also issued a condemnation. “On this holy day of Palm Sunday, a new horrible and cowardly Russian attack took place in Sumy, once again leaving innocent civilian victims, including, unfortunately, children,” she said.
Meanwhile, Russia’s Ministry of Defence said on Sunday that Ukraine carried out two attacks on Russian energy infrastructure over the past day. It also said Russian forces had captured Yelyzavetivka village in Ukraine’s Donetsk region.
The Ukrainian government has yet to comment on the claim, though Russian forces have made steady gains in Ukraine’s east in recent months.
Ukraine has warned that Russia is planning a new spring offensive to ramp up pressure and improve its negotiating position.
Russia currently holds about 20 percent of Ukraine’s territory in the east and the south.
