A Russian missile strike on the Ukrainian city of Sumy, which killed 34 people, including two children and injured over 100, has underscored how little progress US President Donald Trump is making in ending the war he claimed he could quickly resolve, according to Bloomberg.
Just two days prior to the attack, Russian President Vladimir Putin hosted Trump’s envoy, Steve Witkoff, in St. Petersburg—their third meeting since February.
Witkoff described his recent meeting with Putin on as “compelling” and indicated that Putin is open to “permanent peace.”
“This peace deal is about these so called five territories but there is so much more to it. There is security protocols, there is “no NATO” [for Ukraine], NATO article 5. There is a lot of detail attached to it. I think we might be on the verge of something that would be very important for the world at large,” Witkoff said.
This suggestion, echoing Russian propaganda narratives, was met with strong opposition from within the US administration, particularly from Trump’s Ukraine envoy, General Keith Kellogg, who argued that Ukraine would never agree to unilaterally cede these territories.
While European leaders swiftly condemned the assault, Trump’s response was muted. He called the strike “horrible,” and added, “I was told they made a mistake,” while not blaming Russia for this unprecendent attack.
Hopes for a symbolic Easter ceasefire are slipping away. Plans for a potential Trump-Putin summit have stalled, and a 30-day freeze on attacks targeting Ukraine’s energy infrastructure ends Friday. A proposed Black Sea truce, negotiated in Saudi Arabia, remains on hold after Russia demanded sanctions relief as a precondition.
With the fourth summer of the war looming, stalled diplomacy risks giving way to renewed battlefield escalation.
On Friday, Trump expressed frustration: “Russia has to move.” But his administration continues to avoid pressuring Moscow for concessions—while signaling a willingness to accept core Kremlin demands, including territorial control and a halt to Ukraine’s NATO aspirations.
Trump’s challenge is clear: he’s already shown his hand—he wants the war over. But Putin wants it over on his own terms—and for now, he appears willing to kill until he gets them.
After the Sumy attack, Ukrainian forces have carried out a retaliatory strike on the base of Russia’s 448th missile brigade, which was identified by Ukrainian intelligence as being involved in the deadly strike.
The results of the strike are being clarified.
