Donald Trump has condemned Russia’s attack on Ukraine’s northeastern city of Sumy, which killed at least 34 people yesterday. Kyiv’s Western allies say the attack constitutes a war crime, while Poland says Vladimir Putin is “mocking” Trump’s goodwill by continuing to attack Ukraine.
Monday 14 April 2025 10:37, UK
Please use Chrome browser for a more accessible video player
Security and defence analyst Michael Clarke is back on Wednesday for his regularly Q&A on the Ukraine war.
Submit your questions in the box at the top of the page.
As we mentioned this morning, Donald Trump offered his reaction to yesterday’s Russian attack on Sumy while onboard Air Force One last night.
The US president called the strikes “terrible” and said Russia “made a mistake”, without elaborating.
Watch those comments here:
Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine has had a devastating impact on the country’s civilians, especially those living on the frontlines.
The images below are from Pokrovsk in the Donetsk region. The city is a road and rail hub with huge strategic importance for Ukraine.
They show police officers evacuating residents from the city amid continuing Russian attacks.
Russia has been accused of committing war crimes throughout its full-scale invasion of Ukraine.
In 2023, the International Criminal Court issued an arrest warrant for Vladimir Putin over allegations of involvement in the war crime of child abductions.
And overnight, Germany’s incoming chancellor Friedrich Merz accused Putin of committing “a deliberate and calculated war crime” with yesterday’s devastating attack on Sumy (see 6.53am post).
What are war crimes?
War crimes are serious violations of international humanitarian law committed during armed conflicts.
Examples include:
The International Criminal Court in The Hague prosecutes those accused of war crimes, crimes against humanity and genocide.
Leaders and individuals can be charged with war crimes and be held criminally responsible for the actions of a country or its soldiers during wartime.
There is no period of limitation for war crimes, meaning those who commit them can be prosecuted and punished no matter how much time has elapsed since the crimes were committed.
An overnight Russian drone attack sparked a fire at a petrol station in southeastern Ukraine’s Zaporizhzhia region, according to the local governor.
Ivan Fedorov posted a photo of a building on fire at night on Telegram, adding the blaze was eventually extinguished.
For context: Last month, the US said it reached an agreement with Russia and Ukraine on a 30-day ceasefire banning strikes on energy infrastructure.
Both sides have repeatedly accused each other of breaking the moratoriums since.
Vladimir Putin is “mocking” Donald Trump’s goodwill by continuing to attack Ukraine, Poland’s foreign minister says.
“Ukraine unconditionally agreed to a ceasefire over a month ago,” Radoslaw Sikorsk said at a meeting of EU foreign ministers in Luxembourg. “The heinous attacks on Kryvyi Rih and on Sumy is Russia’s mocking answer.
“I hope that President Trump and the US administration see that the leader of Russia is mocking their goodwill and I hope the right decisions are taken.”
We mentioned a little earlier about a meeting of Europe’s foreign ministers discussing Ukraine today in Luxembourg.
Speaking as she arrived at the meeting, Kaja Kallas, the EU’s foreign policy chief, said ministers had to put “maximum pressure” on Russia to end this war, “because it takes two to want peace”.
“All those who want the killing to stop should put the maximum pressure,” she added.
These maps show the latest territorial situation, indicating how much ground is held by Russian and Ukrainian forces.
The first map shows a wide view of the conflict, and from left to right you can see closer views of the fronts in Donetsk, Kharkiv, Luhansk and of the Russian region of Kursk.
As we reported yesterday, it’s been suggested that Russia’s attack on Sumy targeted an awards ceremony being held for military personnel.
According to Artem Semenikhin, the mayor of Konotop, a city in the Sumy region, the awards ceremony “helped Russia justify their terrorist attack”.
Sky News has since had confirmation of this from one source in Sumy and has approached Ukraine’s defence ministry for further information.
International correspondent Diana Magnay says it immediately raises questions over why the ceremony was planned in Sumy in the first place.
“Especially in a town that close to the Russian border – and at a time when Russia’s spring offensive seems to be underway in that area – you have to question why commanders would have been prepared to host something which would have been an obvious target had the information leaked out that it was taking place.”
Donald Trump called the attack “horrible” when speaking last night but suggested it was “a mistake” from Russia, without explaining further.
“He certainly seems to be quite forgiving of Vladimir Putin, given the number of times over the past three years of this war that Russia has targeted civilians or that civilians have died as a result of his missiles,” Magnay says.
European Union foreign ministers will meet in Luxembourg later today to discuss Ukraine.
Andrii Sybiha, Ukraine’s foreign minster, is scheduled to join the meeting, chaired by EU foreign affairs chief Kaja Kallas, via video.
Ukranian outlet European Pravda reports that ministers will be discussing security guarantees for Ukraine as well as new sanctions on Russia.
Russia’s defence ministry says its air units destroyed 52 Ukrainian drones overnight.
Of those, it said 33 were downed over the border Bryansk region, 10 over the Oryol region, and the rest over the regions of Kursk, Tula, Kaluga and Belgorod.
Be the first to get Breaking News
Install the Sky News app for free