President Trump said that the fatal missile attack on Russia’s Ukrainian city of Smie was “a mistake” and that he calls it “terrifying” if members of his administration repeat it again in the accusations that served as a rare criticism of Moscow while the White House seeks a ceasefire.
Two ballistic missiles crashed into the centre of Smee on Sunday morning, killing at least 34 people and wounding more than 100 people. The attack was the second in a week to cause numerous civilian casualties in Ukraine.
“I think it’s terrible. And they said they made a mistake, but I think it’s scary,” Trump said of Smee’s attack on the Air Force on Sunday.
When Russia said he had “been told me” he had made a mistake, it wasn’t immediately clear what Trump meant. Trump has generally shunned criticism of Russian President Vladimir V. Putin since taking office in January.
Some officials in the Trump administration were even more clear. Keith Kellogg, a retired US general and Trump’s special envoy to Ukraine, said the Russian army has surpassed “all common sense” by targeting Smee’s civilians. Secretary of State Marco Rubio also condemned what he described as “a horrifying Russian missile attack on Smie.”
“This is a tragic reminder of why President Trump and his administration are spending so much time and effort trying to end this war and achieve durable peace,” Rubio wrote on social media.
The condemnation came as US efforts to mediate a ceasefire failed to produce results. Recently, White House officials have said Russia has been running out of time for the Trump administration and is using up time to convince them that it is serious about hitting a peace deal.
Zelensky, along with other senior Ukrainian officials, said that Russia is slowly following negotiations as it is not interested in halting the battle, and that it is not interested in halting the battle.
In an interview that aired on Sunday but recorded before the attack on Smee, Zelensky invited Trump to Ukraine to witness the reality of the war firsthand.
“Come, look, then move on with plans on how to end the war. You understand who you are dealing with. You’ll understand what Putin did,” Zelensky told CBS “60 Minutes.”
Zelensky was talking to a broadcasting station in his hometown of Cliviy Li. There, a Russian missile strike killed 19 people earlier this month, including nine children.
“We respect your position,” he added. It is clearly a reference to Trump’s efforts to restore relations with Russia. “But before we can make negotiation decisions or plans, we will start to see whether people, civilians, warriors, hospitals, churches, children have been destroyed or dead.”
Ukrainian officials say the Russian missiles hit Sami, just 18 miles from the Russian border. The aftermath video showed scenes of devastation in a charred, unmoving, bloody body on the street.
“There was probably a 14-year-old girl – dead. Young woman – I didn’t even explain the injury, they were horrible. They tore their chins,” said Volodimia Boyko, a 69-year-old Smee resident who was on a bus struck by the blast. He suffered a cut on his face from flying fragments.
The strike comes just two days after Trump envoy Steve Witkov met with Putin in St. Petersburg to discuss a potential ceasefire.
This timing has led some in Ukraine to suggest that Trump’s attempts to remarry Russia would encourage the Kremlin and continue his attack. On Sunday, the memes multiplied on Ukrainian social media, with Witkov rocking Putin’s hand and shaking as background in the Smie massacre.
In his evening speech on Sunday, Zelensky noted that it had been two months since Russia refused to agree to an unconditional ceasefire in which Ukraine accepted what Ukraine was urging us.
“They’re not afraid, so they keep firing ballistic missiles,” he said. “Only pressure – only decisive action – we can change this.”
