Come and see what Putin did before you decide anything
On the morning of Palm Sunday, as Ukrainians gathered near churches in the city of Sumy, Russian ballistic missiles killed at least 34 civilians — among them children — and wounded 83 more, marking the 1,146th day of a war that continues to exact its toll on ordinary life. In the aftermath, Ukrainian President Zelenskyy issued a rare and personal appeal to Donald Trump: come and see before you negotiate, because the reality of this war cannot be understood from a distance. The strike drew swift condemnation from European leaders who named it a war crime, while Washington's response remained measured — raising the enduring question of whether witnessed suffering can alter the calculus of power.
- Russian ballistic missiles tore through Sumy's city center on Palm Sunday, killing 34 civilians including children and striking a trolley bus full of passengers near houses of worship.
- Zelenskyy turned the moment into a direct moral challenge to Trump, urging the American president to visit Ukraine and witness the human cost before sitting down at any negotiating table.
- European leaders — Macron, Merz, Meloni, Starmer — responded with unified fury, calling the strike a deliberate war crime and demanding a ceasefire be imposed on Russia through coordinated pressure.
- The Trump administration offered condolences but no change in posture, continuing its strategy of quiet diplomacy with Moscow while largely avoiding public criticism of Russian attacks on civilians.
- The central tension now sharpens: two months after Russia ignored a U.S. ceasefire proposal, the question is whether the dead of Sumy will shift Washington's approach — or whether the killing simply continues.
On Palm Sunday morning, Russian ballistic missiles struck the city of Sumy as residents made their way to church. At least 34 people were killed, including two children, and 83 were wounded. One missile hit a trolley bus crowded with passengers; another landed in the city center. It was day 1,146 of the war.
President Zelenskyy used the attack to issue a pointed appeal to Donald Trump. Speaking in a CBS interview broadcast the same day, he asked Trump to visit Ukraine before entering any negotiations with Russia — to see the hospitals, the churches, the dead and the wounded, and to understand firsthand what the war has meant for ordinary people. The invitation carried the weight of a plea: witness this before you decide.
Western leaders responded with swift condemnation. Macron declared that Russia alone was sustaining the war and called for a ceasefire to be imposed by force of diplomatic will. Germany's Friedrich Merz called the strike a deliberate war crime, warning that Moscow reads peace overtures as weakness. Italy's Meloni, Britain's Starmer, and EU chief Antonio Costa all echoed the same conclusion: Russia chose this war and must agree to an immediate, unconditional ceasefire.
Zelenskyy pressed the broader point — that two months had passed since Russia ignored America's ceasefire proposal, and that without real pressure on Moscow, the killing would simply continue. The Trump administration's response, by contrast, was restrained. Secretary of State Rubio offered condolences and framed the attack as further reason to pursue peace. Envoy Kellogg said the strike crossed every line of decency. But neither statement signaled a shift in Washington's approach of negotiating quietly with Russia while avoiding public criticism of its attacks. Whether the civilian toll in Sumy would change that calculus remained, as ever, an open question.
On a Sunday morning when Ukrainians gathered to mark Palm Sunday, Russian ballistic missiles descended on the city of Sumy. At least 34 people died in the strikes, and 83 more were wounded. One missile tore through a trolley bus packed with passengers. Another landed in the crowded city center as worshippers made their way to churches. Two of the dead were children. The attack landed on day 1,146 of the war.
Volodymyr Zelenskyy, Ukraine's president, used the moment to issue a direct challenge to Donald Trump. In a CBS interview broadcast that same Sunday, Zelenskyy asked the American president to come to Ukraine before entering any negotiations with Russia. "Please, before any kind of decisions, any kind of forms of negotiations, come to see people, civilians, warriors, hospitals, churches, children destroyed or dead," he said. The invitation was not casual. It was a plea to witness the war's reality firsthand—to understand, as Zelenskyy put it, "what Putin did."
The strike ignited swift condemnation from Western capitals. Emmanuel Macron, France's president, declared that the attack demonstrated the urgent need to impose a ceasefire on Russia by force of will and diplomatic pressure. "Everyone knows it is Russia alone that wants this war," Macron said. "Today it is clear that Russia alone wants to continue with it, showing its scorn for human life, international law and diplomatic efforts." Friedrich Merz, Germany's chancellor-in-waiting, called the strike "a perfidious act" and "a serious war crime, deliberate and intended." He added a warning: when Russia interprets ceasefire proposals as weakness rather than genuine peace-making, the result is more violence. Italy's prime minister, Giorgia Meloni, condemned what she called a "horrible and cowardly" attack. The EU's chief, Antonio Costa, and Britain's prime minister, Keir Starmer, echoed the same refrain—Russia chose this war, Russia sustains it, and Russia must now agree to an immediate ceasefire without conditions.
Zelenskyy pressed his own case to allies, arguing that without strong pressure on Moscow, the war would simply drag on indefinitely. "It's been two months since Putin ignored America's proposal for a full and unconditional ceasefire," he said. "Unfortunately, they in Moscow are confident that they can afford to keep killing. We need to act to change the situation." The remark pointed to a central tension: the Trump administration had spent two months attempting to negotiate directly with Russia while largely staying silent on Russian attacks against civilians.
The Trump administration's response to Sumy was muted by comparison. Marco Rubio, the secretary of state, offered condolences and framed the attack as a reason why Trump was working to end the war. Keith Kellogg, the U.S. special envoy to Ukraine, said the Palm Sunday strike "crosses any line of decency." But neither statement suggested a shift in Washington's diplomatic posture—one focused on talking to Moscow rather than publicly condemning its actions. The question now hanging over the conflict was whether the civilian toll in Sumy would move Trump to toughen his approach, or whether the administration would continue its strategy of quiet negotiation with a Russian government that, by all evidence, showed no sign of slowing its attacks.
Citas Notables
Please, before any kind of decisions, any kind of forms of negotiations, come to see people, civilians, warriors, hospitals, churches, children destroyed or dead.— Volodymyr Zelenskyy, Ukrainian president
Everyone knows it is Russia alone that wants this war. Today it is clear that Russia alone wants to continue with it, showing its scorn for human life, international law and diplomatic efforts.— Emmanuel Macron, French president
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Why did Zelenskyy invite Trump to Ukraine at this particular moment?
Because words alone weren't working. Two months of negotiations had produced nothing, and Russia kept killing civilians. Zelenskyy wanted Trump to see the hospitals, the destroyed churches, the dead children—to understand that this wasn't an abstract conflict to be managed from a distance.
Do you think Trump will go?
That's the real question. It would be a significant gesture, and it would put him in direct contact with the human cost of the war. But it would also complicate his negotiating position with Moscow, which prefers to deal with Washington at arm's length.
Macron said strong measures are needed to impose a ceasefire. What does that mean in practice?
It's vague by design. He's calling for pressure on Russia—diplomatic, economic, military—but he's not spelling out what that looks like. The problem is that Russia has shown little response to pressure so far.
Why did Merz warn that ceasefire proposals might be read as weakness?
Because that's what's happening. When the West signals willingness to negotiate, Moscow interprets it as hesitation, not good faith. So Russia escalates. The Palm Sunday strike was partly a message: we're not interested in your terms.
What does the Trump administration's silence on civilian casualties suggest?
It suggests they're prioritizing access to Moscow over moral clarity. They want to be seen as the serious negotiators, the ones who can talk to Putin. Condemning attacks too loudly might close that door.