G7, US do not condemn Russian attack on Sumy: ‘Leave room for negotiation with Moscow’

Washington blocks G7 joint statement on massacre in Sumy, where 35 civilians died. The region’s governor is removed, while Nato and Kiev denounce what happened as a war crime

The United States has opposed the inclusion of an explicit condemnation of the Russian missile attack on Sumy in a draft G7 declaration. According to diplomatic sources reported by the Italian news agency Adnkronos, the American choice was motivated by the desire not to jeopardise the fragile dialogue with Moscow in the framework of the ongoing negotiations to end the war in Ukraine.

The Sumy massacre: 35 civilian victims, including two children
The Russian attack, which took place on Sunday, 13 April in the centre of Sumy, left 35 dead and over a hundred injured, striking a densely populated area on Palm Sunday morning. Among the victims were two children. According to Kiev, this was a deliberate bombing of civilians. The Russian Defence Ministry, on the other hand, claimed that the target was a meeting of Ukrainian officers and accused Ukraine of using the population as a human shield.

Fallen Governor Artiukh: ‘Military event used as a pretext by Moscow’
Following the attack, the governor of the Sumy region, Volodymyr Artiukh, who was accused of authorising a public ceremony to present honours to soldiers of the 117th Brigade on the day of the attack, was dismissed. The mayor of Konotop, Artem Semenikhin, called him co-responsible for the incident for providing ‘a useful pretext for Russian propaganda’. Artiukh denied that he was the initiator of the event, saying that he was merely invited.

War crime accusations: ‘Missiles and cluster munitions on civilians’
According to Ukraine, the attack was carried out with the use of cluster munitions, which are considered prohibited by international conventions. The local authorities reiterated that no soldiers were injured and that the victims were exclusively civilians. ‘They purposely hit children,’ complained Semenikhin. Open criminal investigations include both the terrorist attack and the organisation of the risky ceremony.

Naryshkin (Russia): ‘For peace Kiev must renounce NATO and cede territories’
The head of Russia’s foreign intelligence service, Sergei Naryshkin, reiterated the conditions set by Moscow for an agreement: the neutral and denuclearised status of Ukraine, the renunciation of NATO membership, the cession of annexed territories and the abolition of laws passed after 2014. Naryshkin described the resumption of dialogue with the US as positive and signalled an intensification of NATO activities near the Russian-Belarusian borders.

Rutte in Odessa: ‘We need more weapons and air defence for Kiev’
Nato Secretary General Mark Rutte visited Odessa today and met with President Zelensky. During the talks, the urgency of strengthening Ukraine’s air defences and the preparation of an international contingent that could guarantee security in the event of a peace agreement were discussed. Zelensky called for a rapid response from the European allies.

The US role and Trump’s diplomatic initiative
Rutte confirmed that talks between Donald Trump, Moscow and Kiev are ongoing. ‘These are not easy discussions, especially after acts of violence like the one in Sumy,’ he said, but added that all Alliance countries support the US president’s efforts to achieve lasting peace.

‘Pattern of violence against civilians’: Nato condemns Moscow
Nato finally condemned the attack in Sumy as part of ‘a disturbing pattern of violence against civilian targets’. Rutte recalled that in recent years Russia had struck hospitals, health facilities and residential areas, aggravating the humanitarian crisis in Ukraine.

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(Photo: © AndKronos)