USA refuses to condemn Russia's Sumy missile strike not to ruin peace efforts

The United States refused to sign the G7 statement condemning Russia's recent missile strike on the Ukrainian city of Sumy. US officials referred to ongoing efforts to reserve space for peace negotiations, Bloomberg said.

Photo: flickr.com by Ed, https://creativecommons.org/public-domain/pdm/

Ukraine and US flags

Canada, which currently holds the G7 presidency, reportedly told other member states that without US support, issuing such a statement would be impossible.

The Donald Trump administration informed G7 allies that it would not endorse the statement condemning Russia's April 13 strike on Sumy. A draft seen by Bloomberg described the attack as proof of Russia's determination to continue hostilities.

On April 13, Russia launched two Iskander-M tactical missiles launched targeting a meeting of senior Ukrainian military officers in Sumy. Russia's Ministry of Defense claimed that over 60 Ukrainian soldiers were killed. However, the Sumy city council reported 35 civilian deaths and 125 injuries.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky called for a "strong global response." Leaders including French President Emmanuel Macron and UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer condemned the attack and urged Russia to agree to a full ceasefire. Macron also accused Moscow of ignoring "President Trump's diplomatic efforts."

The incident sparked political fallout within Ukraine. The mayor of Konotop, Artem Semenikhin, partially blamed the head of the regional military administration, Volodymyr Artyukh, for organizing the award ceremony that allegedly contributed to the strike. Artyukh acknowledged the ceremony took place but denied organizing it. Calls for his resignation followed, including from MP Maryana Bezuhla, who accused the military leadership of leaking sensitive information. President Zelensky dismissed Artyukh on April 15.

This is not the first time the US has refrained from endorsing harsh language regarding Russia. In February, Washington also declined to support a UN resolution marking the third anniversary of the Ukraine conflict that explicitly mentioned "Russian aggression.” The Kremlin welcomed the US's more "balanced” position, saying it contributed to efforts toward a peaceful resolution. Similarly, Slovakia's parliament recently rejected a resolution proposed by the opposition Progressive Slovakia party condemning Russia's actions in Ukraine, with a majority of lawmakers either voting against or abstaining.

Slovakia refuses to condemn Russia's actions in Ukraine

The Slovak parliament rejected an initiative from opposition party Progressive Slovakia to condemn Russia’s actions in Ukraine, TASR news agency said.

“Lawmakers rejected the resolution marking the third anniversary of the war in Ukraine,” the report stated.

The resolution failed to gain the required majority: out of 142 members present, 65 voted in favor, 6 against, and 71 abstained. The initiative included a call for the immediate cessation of Russia’s military operation and for increased support to Ukraine.

Details

The Group of Seven (G7) is an intergovernmental political and economic forum consisting of Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, the United Kingdom and the United States; additionally, the European Union (EU) is a "non-enumerated member". It is organized around shared values of pluralism, liberal democracy, and representative government. G7 members are major IMF advanced economies.