Ukraine: Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has called on Donald Trump to visit Ukraine and witness the human toll of the war before agreeing to any peace deal with Russia.
Zelenskyy stated that, “Please, before any kind of decisions, any kind of forms of negotiations, come to see people, civilians, warriors, hospitals, churches, children destroyed or dead.”
The attack, which also injured 117, has drawn global condemnation. Trump described the strike as a ‘horrible thing’ while Germany’s likely next chancellor, Friedrich Merz, said it constituted a ‘serious war crime’.
There has been no official response from Moscow, though reports suggest Russian forces are preparing for a new offensive near the border.
The timing of the attack comes as Trump and his team push for a negotiated end to the war, now in its fourth year. When asked about the missile strike, Trump called it ‘terrible’ and said he was told ‘they made a mistake’, without further detail. His special envoy, retired Lt-Gen Keith Kellogg, said the attack crossed ‘any line of decency’.
Zelenskyy’s invitation puts pressure on Trump, who has yet to commit to a visit. So far, Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent is the only senior member of the Trump administration to travel to Kyiv. His visit was reportedly to pressure Ukraine into signing a resource trade deal in exchange for continued U.S. military aid — a deal Zelensky declined, citing its imbalance in Washington’s favour.
The Ukrainian leader has repeatedly warned that Russia is using peace talks as a cover to escalate its military actions. Trump’s envoy Steve Witkoff has already met with Vladimir Putin three times, fueling concerns in Kyiv that Moscow is exploiting diplomacy to gain ground.
Today, many world leaders, diplomats, and ordinary people with big hearts expressed their condolences to Ukraine and the Ukrainian people. They condemned the Russian strike. I thank everyone who remembers that wars end when the crimes of war are not forgotten — and when the… pic.twitter.com/uFmfU6j5cU
— Volodymyr Zelenskyy / Володимир Зеленський (@ZelenskyyUa) April 13, 2025
European leaders reacted strongly to the Sumy attack. Merz, set to succeed Olaf Scholz as German chancellor, called the missile strike a ‘perfidious act’ and ‘a deliberate war crime’. Scholz echoed those sentiments, saying the attack showed ‘just what Russia’s supposed readiness for peace is worth’.
French President Emmanuel Macron condemned what he described as ‘blatant disregard for human lives, international law, and the diplomatic efforts of President Trump,’ and called for ‘strong measures’ to force a ceasefire.
European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen also demanded action, stating that, “Russia was and remains the aggressor, in blatant violation of international law. Europe will continue to maintain strong pressure on Russia until a just and lasting peace is achieved — on Ukraine’s terms.”
UK Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer said he was ‘appalled’ by Russia’s ‘horrific attacks on civilians’, while UN Secretary-General António Guterres said he was ‘deeply alarmed’ by the attack, reminding the world that ‘attacks against civilians and civilian objects are prohibited under international humanitarian law.’
This strike was the deadliest on Ukrainian civilians this year. Earlier this month, 20 people were killed and 61 injured in another Russian attack on Kryvyi Rih. Russia claimed it was targeting military commanders and Western personnel, but offered no evidence.
The full-scale war, which began on 24 February 2022, has left hundreds of thousands dead or wounded and forced nearly 7 million Ukrainians to flee the country, according to UN estimates. The roots of the conflict date back to 2014, when Russia annexed Crimea following the ousting of Ukraine’s pro-Russian president and backed separatist uprisings in eastern Ukraine.
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