April 14 (UPI) — The United States sent condolences to the people of Ukraine after Palm Sunday Russian missile strikes on the northeastern city of Sumy killed at least 34 people and injured 117 with President Donald Trump condemning the attack as “terrible” while his special envoy to Ukraine said it was “immoral.”
“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,” he told reporters aboard Air Force One en route back to Washington on Sunday night.
In a statement earlier, the State Department said the United States extended “our deepest condolences to the victims of today’s horrifying Russian missile attack on Sumy.”
“This is a tragic reminder of why President Trump and his Administration are putting so much time and effort into trying to end this war and achieve a just and durable peace.”
Trump’s Special Envoy to Ukraine, Ret. Lt. Gen. Keith Kellogg, said the attack on a holy day in the Christian calendar that represents peace “crossed the line of decency.”
“There are scores of civilian dead and wounded. As a former military leader, I understand targeting and this is just wrong,” Kellogg said in a post on his official account on X.
The U.S. reaction came after two Iskander ballistic missiles slammed into the Sumy University district mid-morning Sunday which was full of people because the university’s congress center is used for children’s classes and community learning.
The facility serves as an “educational hub for the entire city” that was “very actively rented out for various courses, clubs, and master classes,” according to the BBC’s Ukrainian service.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said at least two children were among the dead and one of the injured was an infant born this year.
In a post on X, he said that the strike damaged 20 buildings beside the university, including five apartment buildings, cafes, shops and the district court.
“In Sumy, efforts are ongoing to deal with the consequences of the Russian ballistic missile strike. All necessary services are involved in the rescue operation. Sixty-eight of the people injured in the attack are currently in medical facilities, 8 of who are in serious condition. Doctors are doing everything possible to save lives and preserve the health of the wounded,” wrote Zelensky.
In a pre-recorded CBS 60 Minutes segment broadcast Sunday, Zelensky called on Trump to visit Ukraine to see for himself the impact of the Russia’s war on his country
“Please, before any kind of decisions, any kind of forms of negotiations, come to see people, civilians, warriors, hospitals, churches, children destroyed or dead,” he said.
European leaders were swift and scathing in their condemnation of Moscow with Germany’s incoming chancellor, Friedrich Merz, calling the strikes a war crime and dismissing suggestions it had been an error.
“It was a perfidious act and it is a serious war crime, deliberate and intended. That is the response, that is what [Vladimir] Putin does to those who talk with him of a cease-fire. Our willingness to discuss with him is interpreted not as a serious offer to make peace, but as weakness,” he said.
French President Emmanuel Macron said Russia was keeping the war going despite the united front against it and called for “strong measures” to compel Russia to enter into a cease-fire.
“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. Strong measures are needed to impose a cease-fire on Russia. France is working tirelessly toward this goal, alongside its partners,” Macron said.
Macron’s comments were echoed by European Council President Antonio Costa who said on X that he was outraged by what he described as “yet another brutal act of aggression.”
“Russia continues its campaign of violence, showing once again that this war exists and endures only because Russia chooses so. The European Union will always stand with the heroic people of Ukraine. Those responsible for these attacks must be held accountable before justice.”
British Prime Minister Keir Starmer said he was “appalled” by the attack, saying his thoughts were with the victims and their families.
“President Zelensky has shown his commitment to peace. Putin must now agree to a full and immediate cease-fire without conditions,” he wrote on X.
Sunday’s attack, the deadliest of 2025, came just over a week after a missile and drone assault on a residential district of Zelensky’s hometown of Kryvyi Rih in the Dnipro region killed at least 18 people including nine children.
