Zelenskyy Condemns Sumy Attack, Urges Global Action

3 Jun at 8:18 am

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Zelenskyy Condemns Sumy Attack, Urges Global Action/ Newslooks/ WASHINGTON/ J. Mansour/ Morning Edition/ A Russian rocket strike killed three in Ukraine’s city of Sumy. Zelenskyy slammed the attack as proof Russia rejects peace. Ukraine’s drone retaliation hit over 40 Russian warplanes.

In this photo, provided by the Ukrainian Emergency Services on Tuesday, June 3, 2025, rescue workers extinguish a fire in a building which was destroyed by a Russian strike in Odesa, Ukraine. (Ukrainian Emergency Services of Ukraine via AP)

Russia’s Sumy Strike: Quick Looks

Rocket Attack Kills Three: Russian rockets struck residential and medical buildings in central Sumy.
Zelenskyy Denounces Attack: Ukraine’s president calls it a targeted assault on civilians.
No Ceasefire in Sight: Peace talks in Istanbul produced no breakthrough.
Ukraine’s Drone Retaliation: Ukrainian drones damaged or destroyed over 40 Russian warplanes.
Putin’s Position Hardens: Kremlin insists any peace must be on Russia’s terms.
Medvedev Threatens More Violence: Russia’s former president vows “complete destruction” of Ukraine’s government.
Putin-Zelenskyy-Trump Meeting Unlikely: Kremlin says such a summit won’t happen soon.
Ukraine Heads to Washington: Delegation seeks U.S. support for defense and recovery.

In this photo, provided by the Ukrainian Emergency Services on Tuesday, June 3, 2025, a rescue worker extinguishes a fire of a building which was destroyed by a Russian strike in Chernihiv, Ukraine. (Ukrainian Emergency Services of Ukraine via AP)

Zelenskyy Condemns Sumy Attack, Urges Global Action

Deep Look

Russian Rocket Barrage Hits Sumy, Killing Civilians

A Russian rocket strike on Tuesday hit the Ukrainian city of Sumy, killing at least three people and injuring many others. According to Ukrainian officials, residential buildings and a medical facility in the city’s center were struck by multiple rockets, just a day after peace talks in Istanbul yielded no progress.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy called the attack a “deliberate strike on civilians,” condemning Russia’s intentions and accusing the Kremlin of sabotaging ceasefire efforts.

“That’s all you need to know about Russia’s ‘desire’ to end this war,” Zelenskyy said in a statement on Telegram.

Zelenskyy Urges U.S. and European Pressure

Following the attack, Zelenskyy appealed to the international community for stronger intervention. He warned that without “decisive action from the United States, Europe, and everyone in the world who holds power,” Russian President Vladimir Putin will refuse to consider even a temporary ceasefire.

The UN estimates that the war has killed over 12,000 Ukrainian civilians, with tens of thousands more soldiers dead on both sides.

Ukrainian Drone Strikes Shake Russia

Despite Russia’s military advantage in size and resources, Ukraine dealt a significant blow over the weekend with a coordinated drone attack on several remote Russian air bases. The operation destroyed or damaged more than 40 warplanes, including those stationed in Siberia, the Arctic, and Russia’s Far East.

Ukrainian officials celebrated the strikes as a strategic success, with President Zelenskyy calling it a “brilliant operation” that would go down in history.

The Russian Defense Ministry admitted some aircraft were set ablaze but claimed it had thwarted other attempted drone attacks.

Russia Rejects Ceasefire; Medvedev Threatens More

While Ukraine has agreed to a U.S.-proposed ceasefire, Russia has declined, insisting any peace settlement must be on its own terms.

Dmitry Medvedev, the former Russian president and now deputy head of Russia’s Security Council, explicitly rejected compromise, calling instead for the “complete destruction” of Ukraine’s leadership. He described the Istanbul talks as a path to victory, not peace.

“Everything that needs to be blown up will be blown up,” Medvedev said, escalating rhetoric around the ongoing invasion.

Kremlin Dismisses Summit With Trump and Zelenskyy

Speculation had swirled that a three-way meeting between Putin, Trump, and Zelenskyy might be in the works to break the deadlock. But Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov shut that down, saying such a summit is “unlikely in the near future.”

Meanwhile, a senior Ukrainian delegation led by Deputy Prime Minister Yuliia Svyrydenko traveled to Washington for talks on defense, sanctions, and postwar recovery. The group is expected to meet U.S. lawmakers and advisors close to Trump.

Civilians in Kyiv Support Strikes, Doubt Peace

On the streets of Kyiv, Ukrainian civilians welcomed the drone retaliation but expressed little optimism for a peace settlement.

“Russia has invested too many resources in this war to just stop for nothing,” said 43-year-old serviceman Oleh Nikolenko.

“We need to show by force that we cannot be defeated,” added Anastasia Nikolenko, a 38-year-old designer.

Russia Expands Operations in Sumy Region

Following Tuesday’s rocket attack, Russia claimed to have captured the village of Andriivka in the Sumy region, just 25 kilometers from the Russian border. Ukraine has not confirmed the claim, and it could not be independently verified.

Putin has recently promised to establish a buffer zone along the border to prevent future long-range Ukrainian drone strikes on Russian soil. This has led to an intensified campaign in the Sumy and Kharkiv regions.

Sumy, a city of 250,000 before the war, has seen an increase in attacks and shelling over recent weeks, part of Russia’s broader push to assert dominance across eastern and northern Ukraine.