Photo: Sumy City Council
The United States has refused to sign a joint G7 statement condemning Russia’s deadliest attack on Ukraine, which took place in the city of Sumy on Palm Sunday. According to Bloomberg, Washington cited the decision as a way to preserve space for negotiations with Moscow.
The Russian missile attack, which used cluster munitions, killed at least 35 people and injured 119 others, including children. “The missiles hit the city when Ukrainians were attending a festive service,” President Volodymyr Zelenskyy stressed.
“We cannot support any statement at this time that would complicate dialogue with Russia to end the war,” a diplomatic source tells Bloomberg.
Canada, which holds the G7 presidency this year, warned its partners that it would not be possible to issue a statement without the US. Diplomatic circles called Washington’s decision “a shock against the backdrop of the scale of the tragedy in Sumy”.
Russian version: an alleged attack on the military
The Russian Ministry of Defence acknowledged the attack, but claimed that the target was a gathering of Ukrainian military commanders, where they said more than 60 soldiers were killed. This claim has not been confirmed by independent sources.
Donald Trump: “terrible” but no direct condemnation
While Trump called the attack “terrible,” he avoided directly condemning Russia, adding that the Russians “probably made a mistake.” He continues to actively pursue behind-the-scenes attempts to negotiate a truce with Putin, including a recent five-hour meeting between his special envoy Steve Vitkov and the Russian president in St. Petersburg.
“We have a chance to restart relations with Russia and ensure stability in the region,” Vitkov told Fox News.
Kyiv’s reaction: time is running out, Russia is killing
President Zelenskyy reiterated that Ukraine supported Trump’s initiative for a complete ceasefire, but recalled that 34 days of constant attacks have passed since then, including on civilian targets, such as the Kryvyi Rih site where 20 people were killed earlier this month.
“Putin will not stop without serious pressure. We see this every day,” Zelenskyy concluded.
