The United States has refused to support a G7 statement condemning the Russian attack on Sumy, citing the desire to continue negotiations with Moscow. This was reported by Bloomberg, while Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky removed the governor of the region, Volodymyr Artyukh, who had implicitly admitted in statements to the media that the raid targeted a military gathering for the awarding of honors, as some local authorities had claimed.
Sources cited by Bloomberg said that the administration of Donald Trump did not want to join the condemnation motion of Moscow because it intends to “preserve space for peace negotiations.” Canada, which holds the G7 presidency, then informed allies that without American support, it would be impossible to proceed with the statement.
NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte, meanwhile, visited Odessa with Zelensky, once again condemning the missile attack on Palm Sunday, which resulted in 35 deaths, including two children, and approximately 120 injured.
“We will continue to support Ukraine so that it can defend itself today and deter future aggression, ensuring a just and lasting peace,” wrote the Secretary General on social media.
Regarding the dismissal of the governor of the Sumy region, a Ukrainian official told AFP that the decision is linked to a statement to the Suspilne news outlet in which Artyukh claimed he was “invited” to the military ceremony on Sunday morning in the city but did not organize it himself. An inadvertent confirmation of the claims made by some Ukrainian sources, according to which the Russian attack was aimed at the gathering for the awarding of honors to the soldiers of the 117th Brigade, organized in a conference center.
Rada deputy Maryana Bezuhla and Artem Semenikhin, mayor of another city in the region, Konotop, protested against the decision to hold such an event in the center of a large city, exposing civilians to the risk of enemy attack. Bezuhla stated that the program included a “children’s show” at 11 a.m. after the medal presentation at 10 a.m. And at 10:15, the Russian raid began.
“We all support President Trump’s push for peace,” Rutte declared from Odessa, emphasizing that these are “not easy” efforts. Comments from Washington, Moscow, and Kiev can only confirm this view. US special envoy Steve Witkoff, who had a over four-hour conversation with Vladimir Putin in St. Petersburg on April 11, spoke in an interview with Fox News about a “complicated situation,” with negotiations involving the “five territories” claimed by Russia, namely Crimea and the regions of Donetsk, Lugansk, Kherson, and Zaporizhzhia. “You know these are red lines for us,” Zelensky responded. “Once again, representatives are discussing issues beyond their competence,” he added.
Meanwhile, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov in Moscow judged that “the matter is so complex that it is difficult to expect immediate results.”
To reignite the controversy between Kiev and Washington, DJ Vance responded to Zelensky, who, remembering the clash on February 28 in the Oval Office, accused him yesterday of “justifying Putin’s actions.” “I think it’s rather absurd for Zelensky to tell the US government, which currently holds together all of its government and war effort, that somehow we are on the side of the Russians,” the US vice president stated.
As for Europe, the President of the Russian Duma, Vyacheslav Volodin, called for the removal from office and a trial before “a UN international tribunal” for EU High Representative for Foreign Policy Kaja Kallas, accused of disrespecting “the memory of those who sacrificed themselves to save the world from Nazism” for inviting candidate countries to not participate on May 9 in Moscow in the parade for the 80th anniversary of victory in the Great Patriotic War. “Russia clearly fears those who speak and act firmly in support of defending Ukraine,” a EU spokesperson responded.
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