Ukraine is still reeling from Sunday’s attack by Russia on the city of Sumy, which left 34 people including children dead and leaving many injured.
It was the second large-scale attack to claim civilian lives in Ukraine in just over a week. A missile strike on Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky’s hometown of Kryvyi Rih killed some 20 people, including nine children, on April 4.
This is despite US President, Donald Trump’s effort to broker a ceasefire, which Russian President Vladimir Putin has seemingly brushed off. Poland’s Foreign Minister, Radek Sikorski, described the attack as “Russia’s mocking answer” to Kyiv’s agreement to a ceasefire proposed by the Trump administration more than a month ago.
“I hope that President Trump, the US administration, see that the leader of Russia is mocking their goodwill, and I hope the right decisions are taken.”
Meanwhile Mr. Trump continues to blame Ukraine President Volodymir Zelensky for causing the war, which has entered its third year.
“When you start a war, you know that you can win the war, right? You don’t start a war against somebody that’s 20 times your size, and then hope that people give you some missiles,” Trump said at the Oval office.
“Most importantly, you have millions of people dead, millions of people dead, because of three people. I would say three people. Let’s say, Putin number one, but let’s say Biden, who had no idea what the hell he was doing, number two, and Zelenskyy. And all I can do is try and stop it,” he added.
Russia began its war against Ukraine, which it calls euphemistically a “special military operation,” in February 2022. An initial lightning offensive saw Russian tanks and helicopters close in the Ukrainian capital of Kyiv before they were pushed back in the early weeks of the war.
