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By Shane Croucher and Ellie Cook
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President Donald Trump said a Russian missile strike on northeastern Ukraine on Sunday that killed at least 34 people was a "mistake."
"I think it was terrible and I was told they made a mistake, but I think it's a horrible thing," Trump told reporters on-board Air Force One on Sunday evening. "I think the whole war's a horrible thing."
Why It Matters
Ukrainian authorities said that Russia launched two ballistic missiles at the Ukrainian city of Sumy as residents attended church services marking Palm Sunday.
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Ukraine's state emergency service said late Sunday that 34 people, including two children, had been killed in the strikes. Another 117 people were injured, according to officials.
Ukrainian officials have for weeks warned of a possible imminent Russian offensive into the Sumy region and neighboring Kharkiv, as Moscow pushes back the last of Ukraine's grip on Russia's Kursk region.
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What To Know
When probed on what he meant by the term "mistake," Trump told reporters on Sunday: "They made a mistake. I believe it was — look, you got to ask them." He did not elaborate further.
Trump also branded Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine as "Biden's war," reiterating his claim that the Kremlin would not have launched its full-scale invasion more than three years ago had he been in the White House.
Ukraine's state emergency service said 51 buildings and 34 cars were damaged in Russia's strike. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said the affected buildings included a university, five apartment blocks, stores, coffee shops and the district court.
The head of Ukraine's GUR military intelligence agency, Kyrylo Budanov, said Russia had struck Sumy with two Iskander-M and KN-23 ballistic missiles. KN-23 is a North Korean short-range ballistic missile that Russia has repeatedly used in Ukraine.
It was the second large-scale ballistic missile attack on a major Ukrainian city this month, after Moscow targeted Kryvyi Rih on April 4 in strikes that killed 20 people.
Sunday's strikes were broadly condemned by Ukraine's allies. European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen described the attack as "barbaric" and "vile," and Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen said she was "deeply horrified."
"Ukraine has supported the U.S. ceasefire negotiations," Frederiksen added. "It should be very clear by now that Russia wants war, not peace."
Trump has steered the White House toward a rapprochement with the Kremlin in recent months. However, the Kremlin rejected a U.S. proposal — to which Ukraine agreed last month — for a full 30-day ceasefire, and made its consent to a partial truce in the Black Sea dependent on sanctions relief.
Trump officials have become increasingly frustrated with the slow pace of ceasefire talks. "Russia has to get moving," Trump said in a statement posted to his Truth Social site on Friday.
In an interview given to CBS News ahead of Sunday's strikes, Zelensky said Trump should visit Ukraine to "understand what's going on here" before negotiating deals with Russia.
"Come, look, and then let's move with a plan on how to finish the war," Zelensky said. "You will understand with whom you have a deal. You will understand what Putin did."
What People Are Saying
Keith Kellogg, Trump's Ukraine and Russia envoy, said in a statement: "As a former military leader, I understand targeting and this is wrong. It is why President Trump is working hard to end this war."
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said: "Only filthy scum can act like this—taking the lives of ordinary people."
What Happens Next
Trump's senior officials are continuing to negotiate with Russia's team on a ceasefire deal.
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