Ukraine says more than 30 killed in Russian ballistic missile strike on Sumy
Zelenskyy says talks not stopping Russia from 'taking the lives of ordinary people'
Russian missiles struck the heart of the Ukrainian city of Sumy as people gathered to celebrate Palm Sunday, killing at least 34 people, officials said, in the second large-scale attack to claim civilian lives in just over a week.
The two ballistic missiles hit around 10:15 a.m., officials said. Images from the scene showed lines of black body bags on the side of the road, while more bodies were seen wrapped in foil blankets among the debris. Video footage also showed fire crews fighting to extinguish the shells of burned-out cars among the rubble from damaged buildings.
The dead included two children, the State Emergency Service of Ukraine said in a statement. A further 117 people were wounded, including 15 children, it said.
"Only filthy scum can act like this — taking the lives of ordinary people," Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said.
The head of the Ukrainian president's office, Andriy Yermak, said the strike also used cluster munitions in an attempt to kill as many people as possible. The Associated Press was unable to verify the claim.
The attack on Sumy followed a deadly missile strike on Zelenskyy's hometown of Kryvyi Rih on April 4 that killed some 20 people, including nine children.
Zelenskyy called for a global response to the attack. "Talks have never stopped ballistic missiles and aerial bombs. What's needed is an attitude toward Russia that a terrorist deserves," he said.
Other world leaders also condemned the attack, with French President Emmanuel Macron saying that it undermined Washington-led peace talks between the two sides.
"Everyone knows: This war was initiated by Russia alone. And today, it is clear that Russia alone chooses to continue it — with blatant disregard for human lives, international law and the diplomatic efforts of President Trump," he wrote in a statement.
Elsewhere in Ukraine, a 62-year-old woman and a 48-year-old man were killed in Russian attacks on the Kherson region, local Gov. Oleksandr Prokudin said Sunday. Another person was killed during Russian shelling on Ukraine's Donetsk region, Gov. Vadym Filashkin said.
The mayor of the Ukrainian city of Kharkiv, Ihor Terekhov, said a Russian strike had hit one of the city's kindergartens, shattering windows and damaging the building's facade. No casualties were reported.
Fears of spring offensive, despite talks
The strikes come a day after Russia and Ukraine's senior diplomats accused each other of violating a tentative U.S.-brokered deal to pause strikes on energy infrastructure, underscoring the challenges of negotiating an end to the three-year war.
The two countries' foreign ministers spoke at separate events at the annual Antalya Diplomacy Forum soon after U.S. envoy Steve Witkoff met with Russian President Vladimir Putin to discuss peace prospects.
"The Ukrainians have been attacking us from the very beginning, every passing day, maybe with two or three exceptions," Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said, adding that Moscow would provide the U.S., Turkey and international bodies with a list of Kyiv's attacks during the past three weeks.
His Ukrainian counterpart, Andrii Sybiha, contested that claim, saying Saturday that Russia had launched almost 70 missiles, over 2,200 exploding drones and more than 6,000 guided aerial bombs at Ukraine, "mostly at civilians" since agreeing to the limited pause on strikes.
Russian forces hold the advantage in Ukraine, and Kyiv has warned that Moscow is planning a fresh spring offensive to ramp up pressure on its foe and improve its negotiating position.
Ukraine has endorsed a broader U.S. ceasefire proposal, but Russia has effectively blocked it by imposing far-reaching conditions. European governments have accused Putin of dragging his feet.
Retired Lt. Gen. Keith Kellogg, Trump's special envoy to Ukraine and Russia, said the Sumy attack crossed "any line of decency" and that the White House remained committed to ending the conflict.
"There are scores of civilian dead and wounded. As a former military leader, I understand targeting, and this is wrong. It is why President Trump is working hard to end this war," he said.
Trump was asked about the attack on Sunday evening while flying back to Washington from Florida.
"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.
Trump did not clarify whether he was saying the attack was unintentional, or where he got that information.