US president calls Russia’s deadly attack on Sumy “mistake” amid ongoing war devastation

US President Donald Trump has expressed his condemnation of Russia's recent missile strikes on the Ukrainian city of Sumy, which killed 34 people and injured 117 in one of the deadliest attacks since the war's inception.

Speaking to reporters, Trump referred to the assault as "terrible," adding that it might have been "a mistake," Caliber.Az reports via foreign media.

"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," Trump remarked, reflecting on the growing humanitarian toll the conflict has taken. His comments came in the wake of the devastating missile strikes, which involved two Russian ballistic missiles hitting Sumy, one of the hardest-hit cities in Ukraine.

The attack has drawn widespread international condemnation, with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy urging a tough international response. Zelenskyy, who has consistently called for more robust global action against Russia, also challenged Trump to witness the destruction firsthand.

“Please, before any kind of decisions, any kind of forms of negotiations, come to see people, civilians, warriors, hospitals, churches, children destroyed or dead,” Zelenskyy said in an interview with CBS, further pleading for the US President to understand the magnitude of the suffering caused by Russia’s actions. The President released a harrowing video showing bodies lying on a city street, near a destroyed bus and charred vehicles, further underscoring the brutality of the attack.

Zelenskyy also called those responsible for the assault “scoundrels,” emphasizing the inhumane nature of such strikes, especially on Palm Sunday, a time when many Ukrainians were attending church services. “Only scoundrels can act like this, taking the lives of ordinary people,” Zelenskyy added.

In response to the crisis, European Union foreign ministers were scheduled to meet in Luxembourg to discuss further security guarantees for Ukraine and potentially new sanctions on Russia, aiming to ramp up pressure on Moscow to halt its aggression.

Trump’s comments, however, have sparked debate, as the US President has continued to push for negotiations to end the war, with a focus on de-escalating tensions rather than intensifying the conflict. His suggestion that the attack on Sumy may have been a "mistake" comes amidst mounting pressure on world leaders to take a firmer stance in dealing with Russia’s ongoing military operations in Ukraine.

By Vafa Guliyeva