Keith Kellogg, President Trump’s special envoy to Ukraine, condemned Russia’s attack on a Palm Sunday gathering in Ukraine.
“Today’s Palm Sunday attack by Russian forces on civilian targets in Sumy crosses any line of decency,” Kellogg said in a post on the social platform X.
“There are scores of civilians 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,” Kellogg added.
Officials said that more than 30 people died in a Russian missile strike on a Ukrainian city on Sunday. The Russian attacks struck the heart of Sumy on Sunday morning when people were gathering for Palm Sunday.
“As of now, 31 people are known to have been killed in Sumy by the Russian ballistic missile strike. Among those killed were two children,” Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said on the social platform X Sunday morning.
The Ukrainian president said there were over 84 people who had been injured and were being cared for. Zelensky also alleged that Russian President Vladimir Putin “has been ignoring the U.S. proposal for a full and unconditional ceasefire.”
President Trump and his administration have sought an end to the conflict in Ukraine in the president’s first few months back in office.
Last month, a full 30-day ceasefire put forth by the U.S. and supported by Ukraine was rejected by Putin. However, he indicated openness to a smaller truce focused on energy infrastructure.
Other world leaders, including United Kingdom Prime Minister Keir Starmer and French President Emmanuel Macron, slammed the Sumy attack.
“I’m appalled at Russia’s horrific attacks on civilians in Sumy and my thoughts are with the victims and their loved ones at this tragic time. President Zelenskyy has shown his commitment to peace. Putin must now agree to a full and immediate ceasefire without conditions,” Starmer said in a post on X.