Ukraine War: US Prevents G7 Condemnation of Russia After Sumy Attack

Berliner Zeitung Ukraine War: US Prevents G7 Condemnation of Russia After Sumy Attack Alexander Schmalz • 12 hours • 2 minutes read Ukraine, Sumy: Firefighters extinguish a burning car after the Russian missile attack on the city center. The Russian missile attack on the Ukrainian city of Sumy has sparked international outrage. Dozens of civilians were killed. US President Donald Trump called it a "horrible thing," adding, "I've been told it was a mistake." Nevertheless, the US has informed its G7 allies that it will not sign a statement condemning Russia's deadliest attack on Ukraine this year, Bloomberg reported on Tuesday. The reason given was that the US government wants to keep negotiations with Moscow on track. Washington is "working to preserve the space for peace negotiations," Bloomberg quoted people familiar with the diplomatic correspondence as saying. Russia fired two short-range ballistic missiles, including one with cluster munitions, at the northeastern Ukrainian city of Sumy on Palm Sunday while Ukrainians were attending a church service. At least 35 people were killed in the attack and 119 others were injured, including children, said Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky. Almost all of the victims were civilians. According to the report, Canada, which holds this year's G-7 presidency, told allies that it would be impossible to issue the statement without U.S. approval. The G-7 statement was expected to say that the attack on Sumy was proof of Russia's determination to continue the war, according to drafts. The Russian Defense Ministry admitted responsibility for the attack on Sumy in a Telegram post on Monday. The Kremlin said the shelling targeted a gathering of Ukrainian military leaders in the city and killed more than 60 soldiers. The AFP news agency, however, reported that unofficial figures indicate that only two soldiers were among the reported victims. This has not yet been confirmed. Following the attack on Sumy, nearly 50 countries and international organizations spoke out in support of Ukraine, Zelensky said in his daily address to the nation on Monday. The Russian attack on Sumy came two days after Russian President Vladimir Putin met with Trump's special envoy, Steve Vitkoff, in St. Petersburg to discuss a ceasefire in Ukraine. The talks with the Kremlin chief opened up the possibility of reshaping Russian-American relations and stabilizing the region through some "very attractive business opportunities," Vitkoff told Fox News on Monday evening, without elaborating. Towards the end of the nearly five-hour talks in St. Petersburg, according to Vitkoff, the two sides discussed "Putin's demands to get him to agree to a lasting peace that goes beyond a ceasefire." The peace agreement concerns "the so-called five territories," Witkoff continued, adding that there are many other elements concerning "security protocols" and Article 5 of NATO's North Atlantic Treaty Organization. Trump's special envoy did not specify which five territories he was referring to. He was presumably referring to the five regions of Ukraine claimed by Russia, namely Crimea and parts of the four Ukrainian oblasts of Donetsk, Luhansk, Kherson, and Zaporizhia.