U.S. officials responded to Russia's deadly Palm Sunday attack on Sumy with condolences for Ukraine, but no calls for increased pressure on Moscow.
Russia targeted Ukraine's northeastern city of Sumy with ballistic missiles the morning of April 13, as many civilians gathered for religious observances on Palm Sunday. The attack killed at least 34 people and injured 117, including children.
"The United States extends our deepest condolences to the victims of today's horrifying Russian missile attack on Sumy," U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio wrote on X.
"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 durable peace."
Rubio's statement echoed earlier remarks by Special Envoy Keith Kellogg, who also said the attack demonstrated the importance of U.S. President Donald Trump's peace efforts. Kellogg went a step further than Rubio by denouncing Russia's attack on civilians, saying it "crosses any line of decency."
"There are scores of civilian dead and wounded. As a former military leader, I understand targeting and this is wrong," he said.
Like Rubio, Kellogg did not explicitly call for increased pressure or sanctions on Moscow.
The omission is notable compared to responses from European leaders, who condemned the attack as a war crime and demanded intensified pressure on Russia to accept an unconditional ceasefire.
"Russia shows that it has no respect for international law or humanitarian law," Finnish President Alexander Stubb wrote on X.
"We must end this war. An unconditional ceasefire must begin at once. To make it commit seriously to negotiations, sanctions against Russia need to be further strengthened."
U.K. Prime Minister Keir Starmer also said he was "appalled at Russia's horrific attacks" and called for Russia to accept a full ceasefire.
"President Zelenskyy has shown his commitment to peace. Putin must now agree to a full and immediate ceasefire without conditions," he said.
The European response widely acknowledged that Ukraine has already agreed to accept Washington's proposal for a complete ceasefire of 30 days, while Russia continues to refuse the terms.
A day before the attack on Sumy, Trump said negotiations between Russia and Ukraine were "going fine." His comments came a day after Special Envoy Steve Witkoff met with Russian President Vladimir Putin in St. Petersburg on April 11 to discuss "aspects of the Ukrainian settlement."
While Trump has expressed some public frustration with the Kremlin's stalling, he has not followed through on threats to impose new punitive tariffs and sanctions on Russia.
Dominic Culverwell
(Updated: )
