World leaders slam Russian strike

Missiles kill at least 34 in Ukraine city

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World leaders condemned a Russian missile strike on Ukraine on Sunday, one of the deadliest attacks in months, while United States President Donald Trump called it a “horrible thing” and a “mistake”.

Two ballistic missiles hit the centre of the northeastern city of Sumy, close to the Russian border, on Sunday morning, killing at least 34 people and wounding more than 100 others, Ukrainian authorities said.

The strike came two days after US presidential envoy Steve Witkoff travelled 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 Sunday evening.

Asked to clarify what he meant by a “mistake”, Mr Trump said that “they made a mistake... you're gonna 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 Sunday urged Mr Trump to visit his country to better understand the devastation wrought by Russia’s invasion.