Poland’s Foreign Minister Radoslaw Sikorski on Monday urged former U.S. President Donald Trump to take decisive action in response to Russian President Vladimir Putin’s continued aggression in Ukraine, following a deadly Palm Sunday strike that left 34 people dead, including two children.
“I’m deeply appalled by this latest wave of Russian attacks on Ukraine,” Sikorski told reporters before the European Union’s foreign ministers convened in Luxembourg.
“Ukraine committed to a ceasefire more than a month ago,” he said. “Russia’s brutal assaults on Kryvyi Rih and Sumy are a cruel and mocking reply.”
On Sunday, Russia launched two ballistic missiles at the center of Sumy, a northeastern Ukrainian city located about 30 miles from the Russian border.
Moscow claimed the missiles targeted a meeting of top Ukrainian military officials and alleged that 60 troops were killed, though no evidence was provided.
Ukrainian officials confirmed 30 deaths and 119 injuries, with no clarity on whether any senior officials were among the victims.
The strike followed another deadly attack just a week earlier on Kryvyi Rih, the hometown of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.
That assault, which occurred near a playground, was the deadliest strike against children since the war began, killing 19 people, including nine children.
“I hope President Trump and his administration recognize that Putin is mocking any goodwill gestures and will take appropriate measures in response,” Sikorski added.
European leaders swiftly condemned the attacks. Germany’s incoming chancellor, Friedrich Merz, labeled the strikes a “serious war crime,” while Lithuania summoned a Russian diplomat to address the incident.
France’s foreign minister, speaking ahead of major international discussions, called for stronger sanctions aimed at crippling Russia’s economy to bring an end to its war campaign.
Trump also criticized the attacks, calling them “terrible,” though he added that he had been told it “was a mistake.”
Still, he said, “I think it’s a horrible thing.”
Over the past month alone, Russian forces have reportedly dropped 2,800 air bombs, launched more than 1,400 drones—including 62 Shahed drones on Sunday night—and fired around 60 other types of missiles across Ukraine, according to The Associated Press.
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