« Clearly a difficult war crime » – Diepresse.com

The clearest words found one who is currently aiming for a leadership role in Europe. « Clearly a serious war crime, » said CDU boss Friedrich Merz, in all likelihood the next German Chancellor from the beginning of May. He meant the Russian rocket attack on the Ukrainian border town of Sumy on Sunday.

34 people are dead, including many civilians, according to Ukrainian information. 117 people are injured, including 15 children. Two ballistic rockets of the Russian army hit Sumy, burned cars can be seen in the city in photos. UN Secretary General António Guterres showed « deeply shocked » and pointed out a « devastating pattern of similar attacks on Ukrainian cities in recent weeks ». « Attacks on civilians are prohibited under international law and must be ended immediately, » said Guterres.

« Putin wants to destroy us »

In the days before, Russian rockets hit another city where they killed civilians: in Krywyj Rih, the birthplace of the Ukrainian president, Wolodymyr Selenskij. He expressed a public invitation to US President Donald Trump while led the US television channel CBS through the hard hit city.

« Please, before any decisions, some negotiations, come and see the people, civilians, soldiers, hospitals, churches, children who are destroyed or dead, » said Selenskij. « You will understand what Putin did. Putin never wanted to end the war. He wants to completely destroy us. » Just two days before the fatal attacks on Sumy, the US special envoy Steve Witkoff met with the Russian president, Vladimir Putin.

The talks are sometimes about the offer of an armistice that was negotiated by Ukraine and the USA – and that the Kremlin has not yet accepted. So far, Witkoff praised the Russian president in detail, and he declared himself Fan Putin several times. US President Trump, in turn, said before the attacks on Sumy, negotiations with Moscow went well.

On Sunday he called the Russian rocket attacks « a terrible thing ». However, he conveyed the interpretation that it was a missed shot. « I was told that they made a mistake. But I think it’s a terrible thing. I think the whole war is a terrible thing, » said Trump.

Neither Trump nor the White House mentioned Russia in the criticism. The US Foreign Minister, Marco Rubio, had previously expressed his condolences to the « victims of today’s terrible Russian rocket attack on Sumy ».

« Russia’s mocking answer »

The EU foreign commissioner Kaja Kallas called for maximum pressure on Russia after the attack on Sumy in order to bring about an end to the war. « I think we have to put pressure – maximum pressure – on Russia to really end this war. Because it takes two to want peace, » said Kallas on Monday.

The Austrian Foreign Minister, Beate Meinl-Reisinger (NEOS), spoke of a « brutal attack in Ukraine yesterday, which was most tortured » before meeting her EU colleagues in Luxembourg. The Polish Foreign Minister, Radosław Sikorski, accused Putin of making fun of the good intentions of the US government. « Ukraine agreed to a ceasefire over a month ago without making conditions. The hideous attacks on Krywyj Rih and Sumy are Russia’s mocking answer, » said Sikorski in Luxembourg.

The city of Sumy is located near the border to the Russian region of Kursk. There, the Ukrainian army started a surprise attack on Russian territory last summer. In the past few weeks she has had to withdraw from large parts of course.

The Russian Ministry of Defense claimed on Monday that a meeting of Ukrainian officers had attacked Sumy: Ukrainian soldiers were honored in the city center. The Iskander missiles killed 60 Ukrainian military, according to the Kremlin. The governor of the Sumy region is now criticized in his homeland because he started the assembly – and thus delivered a pretext for the attack.

Merz brings Taurus into play

After the attack on Sumy, the upcoming German government is determined to better support Ukraine. Friedrich Merz announced that as a German Chancellor, he wanted to enable the delivery of Taurus marching aircraft. Chancellor Olaf Scholz (SPD) continues. He argues that Germany would intervene in the war if it should deliver the high -techrakets.

Merz sees it differently. He linked the delivery to a new European support package. « I always said that I would only do that in coordination with the European partners, » said the CDU boss. « The Ukrainian army has to get out of the defensive. »

In Moscow, Merz ‘announcement was seen as a « further escalation of the situation », as Kremlin spokesman Dmitrij Peskow says. He accused the European governments of « further heating the war ». (APA/Zot)