SUMY, Ukraine — Residents of the Ukrainian city of Sumy on Monday grieved the victims of one of the deadliest attacks of the war as Russia denied targeting civilians and US President
Residents of the Ukrainian city of Sumy on Monday grieved the victims of one of the deadliest attacks of the war as Russia denied targeting civilians and US President Donald Trump resumed his onslaught against Ukraine’s leader.
A day after two missiles killed at least 35 people, people laid flowers beside a destroyed university building as workers dug through the rubble.
“We used to walk here all the time,” said Igor Koloshchuk, stood by the makeshift memorial with his wife Tetyana.
“We came to pay our respects,” Tetyana said, adding she felt “shock, incomprehension, and probably hatred.”
Authorities said the dead included two boys aged 11 and 17. But Russia said its missiles hit a meeting of army commanders, accusing Ukraine of using civilians as a “human shield”.
Russia’s attack drew international condemnation.
The US president — who is pushing for a ceasefire — called it a “horrible thing” and a “mistake” by Russia’s President Vladimir Putin, but also targeted Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelensky.
Trump — who had a blazing White House row with Zelensky six weeks ago — said the Ukrainian leader shared the blame for “millions of people dead” with Putin, who ordered the February 2022 invasion, and former US president Joe Biden.
“Let’s say Putin number one, but let’s say Biden, who had no idea what the hell he was doing, number two, and Zelensky,” Trump said during a meeting with El Salvador’s president.
