World Leaders Slam Deadly Russian Attack on Ukraine

Strike comes days after US envoy met Putin and pushed Trump's bid to end the war

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SUMY - World leaders condemned a Russian missile strike on Ukraine on April 13, one of the deadliest attacks in months, while US President Donald Trump called it a "horrible thing" and a "mistake".

Two ballistic missiles hit the center of the north-eastern city of Sumy, close to the Russian border, in the morning, killing at least 34 people and wounding more than 100 others, the Ukrainian authorities said.

The strike came two days after US presidential envoy Steve Witkoff traveled to Russia to meet President Vladimir Putin and push Mr. Trump's efforts to end the more than three-year war.

"I think it was terrible. And I was told they made a mistake. But I think it's a horrible thing. I think the whole war is a horrible thing," Mr. Trump told reporters on board Air Force One while headed back to Washington on the evening of April 13.

Asked to clarify what he meant by a "mistake," Mr. Trump said that "they made a mistake... you're going to ask them" — without specifying who or what he was referring to.

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio called the attack "horrifying" and 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".

Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelensky on April 13 urged Mr. Trump to visit his country to better understand the devastation wrought by Russia's invasion.