Furious Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has branded Kremlin’s commanders “deranged scum” for killing 34 civilians and wounding 117 in their latest brutal attack. The blast in the centre of border town Sumy involved two Iskander ballistic missiles smashing into it, hitting near the State university and a congress centre sparking carnage.
Appalling imagery of the aftermath showed bloodied bodies lying in the streets, some hastily covered with sheets near the impact points. More than 60 of those hit in the blasts were lying seriously injured in hospital last night and it is feared the toll could rise in the coming hours.
Zelensky said in his evening address:”The strike hit right in the heart of the city on Palm Sunday. Only completely deranged scum can do something like this.”
US President Donald Trump, accused repeatedly of refusing to criticise Russia, merely said: “I think it was terrible and I was told they made a mistake, but I think it’s a horrible thing. I think the whole war is a horrible thing.”
European officials condemned Russia’s deadly missile attack, accusing Moscow of committing war crimes and demonstrating disregard for Washington-led efforts to end the war.
And they called for tough measures to “force” Russia to the peace negotiation table. Ukrainian officials said two ballistic missiles on Sunday morning hit the heart of Sumy, a city about 30 kilometers away from Ukraine’s border with Russia.
It was the second large-scale attack to claim civilian lives in just over a week. Polish Foreign Minister Radek Sikorski, whose country holds the European Union’s rotating presidency, said the recent attacks mocked the suggestion of US-led peace talks.
He said they are “Russia’s mocking answer” to Kyiv’s agreement to a ceasefire proposed by the U.S. administration over a month ago. He added:”I hope that President Trump, the U.S. administration, sees that the leader of Russia is mocking their goodwill, and I hope the right decisions are taken.
Finnish Foreign Minister Elina Valtonen underlined that the Sumy attack on Sumy came shortly after Trump’s envoy, Steve Witkoff, was in Saint Petersburg for talks with Russian President Vladimir Putin.
She said it shows “Russia shows full disregard for the peace process, but also that Russia has zero regard for human life.” Lithuania’s foreign minister Kestutis Budrys said the Russian strike used cluster munitions to target civilians in what he called “a war crime by definition.”
French Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot said the attack shows that Putin has no intention of agreeing to a ceasefire. He added: “He must therefore be forced to do so, and that’s why I’m calling on the European Union to take the toughest sanctions against Russia to suffocate its economy and prevent it from fueling its war effort.”
Germany’s chancellor-designate, Friedrich Merz, described the Sumy attack as “a serious war crime.”
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