logo
Peace eludes shattered Sumy

Peace eludes shattered Sumy

The Star16-05-2025
A THICK, roiling cloud of black smoke spiralled up from a parking lot of burning cars, as residents stood dazed on the pavement and emergency vehicles tore past, sirens wailing.
Then the whine of another drone.
'Shelter! Shelter!' a police officer bellowed, as the faint buzz of a Russian exploding drone drifted down from the sky. People bolted.
Firefighters battling a blaze after a Russian drone struck a parking lot in Sumy; (above) mourners at an impromptu memorial for Palm Sunday attack victims. — Tyler Hicks/The New York Times
'It's like this every day,' said Mayor Artem Kobzar, who had been visiting the site in Sumy, northeastern Ukraine, and dashed into the doorway of a nearby apartment block.
'Everybody in Ukraine wants peace,' he added. 'But in Sumy, we don't have a day or night of calm.'
That airstrike occurred on April 13, a day after two ballistic missiles slammed into a residential neighbourhood on Palm Sunday just after 10am, killing 34 civilians – including two children – and injuring 117 others, according to the Sumy City Council.
The wreckage of an apartment struck by Russian missiles in Sumy. — Tyler Hicks/The New York Times
Russia claimed it had targeted a military installation. A Ukrainian regional governor confirmed that a military awards ceremony had taken place that day.
The Palm Sunday attack came more than two months after US President Donald Trump initiated ceasefire talks with Russian President Vladimir Putin.
But after the Sumy strike, many in Ukraine and abroad now question whether those talks are collapsing.
Preparations for a potential new Russian ground assault in the region are now under way.
In March, Trump paused military and intelligence aid to Ukraine, pushing for ceasefire discussions while offering Russia incentives of renewed economic cooperation. Ukraine agreed to an unconditional truce, while Russia continues to demand sanctions relief and other concessions.
Rescue workers searching the rubble of a building destroyed in the Palm Sunday missile attack in Sumy. — Tyler Hicks/The New York Times
In remarks from the Oval Office, Trump placed blame on former US president Joe Biden, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and Putin.
'The war wouldn't have started if Biden were competent, and if Zelenskyy were competent – and I don't know that he is,' Trump said.
'We had a rough session with this guy. He just kept asking for more and more.'
Still, Trump claimed: 'I want to stop the killing, and I think we're doing well in that regard.'
European leaders including French President Emmanuel Macron condemned the civilian deaths.
Trump, speaking later to reporters aboard Air Force One, called the strike a 'horrible thing', adding, 'I was told they made a mistake.'
Zelenskyy, however, pointed to the attack as proof that Russia is not serious about peace.
'Ukraine responded positively to the US proposal for a full and unconditional ceasefire,' he said. 'Russia remains focused on continuing the war.'
Drone strikes are intensifying across the country, and Sumy – just 30km from the Russian border – is particularly vulnerable. The city has become a tragic symbol of both frontline exposure and diplomatic failure.
Life here is lived on edge.
A woman arrives on Monday, April 14, 2025, to lay flowers at an impromptu memorial to those killed in the Palm Sunday missile attack on Sumy, Ukraine. Threats of air attacks repeatedly disrupted the cleanup work at the site of Sunday's attack, a sprawl of burned cars and splays of brick on the sidewalks. (Tyler Hicks/The New York Times)
Ancient churches and leafy boulevards are interrupted by bombed-out apartment blocks and the thrum of drones overhead.
'Few believe in a ceasefire,' said one resident.
At the Palm Sunday attack site, a backhoe scraped through rubble as rescuers searched for more victims.
The scene was apocalyptic: charred cars, shattered glass, crumbling masonry, bloodstains and ash. Bomb alerts repeatedly interrupted the work.
Mourners stepped around debris to lay flowers at a makeshift memorial.
Few here accept the idea of a 'mistake', as Trump suggested.
The two missiles hit three minutes apart, in a 'double-tap' strike – a tactic designed to maximise casualties by target­ing emergency workers and survivors.
'It's horrifying,' said Oleh Strilka, a spokes­man for Ukraine's emergency services. 'They fire a second missile once help arrives.'
He described variations of this tactic across the region.
One such strike in March hit a hospital bomb shelter entrance, trapping people inside. Another involved a drone loitering overhead to target fire trucks responding to blazes started by artillery.
Fire crews in some areas have stopped responding.
On Palm Sunday, amid dust and shrieking alarms, Viktoria Rudyka, 37, knelt on a blood-slicked pavement, pressing her hands over a gaping wound in her six-year-old daughter's chest.
A passing car stopped and rushed them to hospital. Seconds later, the second missile hit, raining debris on the vehicle. Doctors later removed a metal shard from the child's lung.
Russia's foreign minister Sergey Lavrov claimed the missile strike hit a meeting of Ukrainian and Western military officials.
Sumy's governor, Volodymyr Artyukh, said he had attended a ceremony honouring soldiers, suggesting that military personnel were present.
The drone strike the next day didn't involve a double tap, but the pattern of repeat attacks has left residents traumatised and distrustful of peace efforts.
Four employees of the Be Happy coffee shop walked together to the strike site, laying pink and white roses where a cook and a pastry chef had been killed. They sobbed and held each other.
'There are no signs of a ceasefire in Sumy,' said Diana Khaitova, 22, a server who found the bodies of her colleagues that day.
'People here are just always afraid.' — ©2025 The New York Times Company
This article originally appeared in The New York Times
Orange background

Try Our AI Features

Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:

Comments

No comments yet...

Related Articles

US judge orders deported migrant Abrego released ahead of trial
US judge orders deported migrant Abrego released ahead of trial

The Star

time23 minutes ago

  • The Star

US judge orders deported migrant Abrego released ahead of trial

FILE PHOTO: Kilmar Abrego Garcia, a Salvadoran migrant who lived in the U.S. legally with a work permit and was erroneously deported to El Salvador, is seen wearing a Chicago Bulls hat, in this handout image obtained by Reuters on April 9, 2025. Abrego Garcia Family/Handout via REUTERS THIS IMAGE HAS BEEN SUPPLIED BY A THIRD PARTY. MANDATORY CREDIT./File Photo WASHINGTON (Reuters) -A U.S. judge ordered on Wednesday that Kilmar Abrego be released on bail while awaiting trial on human smuggling charges, a legal victory for the migrant who was wrongly deported to El Salvador by the Trump administration, but one that likely sets the stage for him to be detained again by immigration authorities. U.S. District Judge Waverly Crenshaw in Nashville upheld a magistrate judge's ruling that prosecutors had not shown sufficient evidence that Abrego posed a public safety threat or was a flight risk. Simultaneously on Wednesday, U.S. District Judge Paula Xinis in Greenbelt, Maryland, who is overseeing a civil lawsuit brought by Abrego, put a 72-hour pause on any further attempt by the Trump administration to deport Abrego. The ruling will likely not lead to Abrego's release from U.S. government custody and will trigger a renewed legal battle over whether he can be deported again. Abrego's lawyers have asked for the ruling to be paused for 30 days, keeping him in criminal detention as they weigh their next moves. President Donald Trump's administration has previously said if Abrego is freed from criminal custody, he will immediately be taken into immigration detention and face a second deportation to a country other than El Salvador. The immigration proceedings will begin immediately and could lead to Abrego's removal from the U.S. before a criminal trial, officials have said, despite the Trump administration's previous vow that Abrego would face justice in an American courtroom. Abrego, 29, a Salvadoran migrant who had been living in Maryland, was deported and imprisoned in El Salvador in March despite a 2019 judicial ruling that he could not be sent there because of a risk of gang persecution. Abrego's case has drawn widespread attention as the Trump administration moves aggressively to deport millions living illegally in the U.S., prompting criticism that the government is infringing on legal rights. The Trump administration brought Abrego back to the U.S. in June after securing an indictment accusing him of taking part in a smuggling ring as part of the MS-13 gang to transport migrants living in the country illegally. Abrego has pleaded not guilty and his lawyers have accused the Trump administration of bringing the charges to cover up violations of his rights. He has denied any gang ties. Federal prosecutors sought to convince two different judges to order Abrego be detained while awaiting a trial. They alleged that Abrego used children as cover during smuggling trips, faced complaints that he mistreated female passengers and lied about his activities when stopped by police in 2022. Lawyers for Abrego have argued that alleged co-conspirators cooperating with prosecutors cannot be trusted because they are seeking relief from their own criminal charges and deportations. The defense has argued that witnesses gave inconsistent statements to investigators, including about the government's core allegation that Abrego is a member of the MS-13 gang. (Reporting by Andrew Goudsward; Editing by Scott Malone, Nia Williams and Deepa Babington)

US, EU trade talks boosted by Trump's agreement with Japan
US, EU trade talks boosted by Trump's agreement with Japan

The Star

timean hour ago

  • The Star

US, EU trade talks boosted by Trump's agreement with Japan

FILE PHOTO: Stacked containers and cranes are shown at the Port of Los Angeles in Los Angeles, California, U.S., November 22, 2021. REUTERS/Mike Blake/File Photo BRUSSELS/WASHINGTON (Reuters) -The European Union and the U.S. are heading for a potential trade deal that includes a 15% U.S. baseline tariff on EU goods and possible exemptions, two European diplomats said on Wednesday, potentially moving President Donald Trump closer to securing another major trade agreement hours after he unveiled one with Japan. European negotiators were hoping to reach an agreement to dodge the 30% tariff rate Trump has said he would impose on imports from the 27-nation blocon August 1. The rate, which could also extend to cars, would mirror the framework agreement the U.S. has struck with Japan, which Trump announced late on Tuesday. The deal could include exemptions for some EU goods, the diplomats said. As talks continued, the European Commission said it would press on with potential counter-measures in case a deal was not reached. EU member states were set to vote on 93 billion euros of counter-tariffs on U.S. goods on Thursday, European diplomats said. A broad majority of members support using anti-coercion instruments if there is no deal, they said. Trump was hoping for a boost from the complicated deal reached with Japan, the largest foreign investor in the U.S., which included a $550 investment and loan pledges from Japan and its commitment to buy 100 Boeing airplanes and boost purchases of U.S. agricultural products. Tariffs on Japan's auto sector will drop from 27.5% to 15% as part of the agreement, reviving hopes for a similar deal for EU cars. Asian and European stock markets rallied as investors cheered that agreement, but U.S. stocks showed a more modest rise and earnings reports were gloomy. U.S. businesses making everything from chips to steel reported downbeat results on Wednesday, revealing how the Trump administration's chaotic trade policy has hurt profits, added to costs, upended supply chains and weighed on consumer confidence. Trump said late on Tuesday that other countries would be coming for talks this week and governments were scrambling to close trade deals before next week's deadline that the White House has repeatedly pushed back under pressure from markets and intense lobbying by industry. AUTO TARIFFS Automobile stocks led the climb of European shares after the Japan deal spurred hopes that the U.S. was budging over tariffs on EU cars. EU officials have previously said Washington has shown little sign of doing so. U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said in an interview with Bloomberg Television that Japan received the 15% rate on auto tariffs "because they were willing to provide this innovative financing mechanism" that he did not think other countries could replicate. Trump, however, has appeared open to a range of options as the U.S. negotiates trade deals. "I will only lower tariffs if a country agrees to open its market," Trump wrote in a social media post on Wednesday. In addition to talks in Washington, the European Trade Commissioner Maros Sefcovic planned to speak with U.S. Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick on Wednesday from Brussels. (Reporting by Philip Blenkinsop in Brussels and Trevor Hunnicutt in Washington; Additional reporting by Bhargav Acharya and Susan Heavey; Writing by Doina Chiacu; Editing by Paul Simao)

EU-China talks test unity as tariffs and war frictions dominate
EU-China talks test unity as tariffs and war frictions dominate

New Straits Times

time2 hours ago

  • New Straits Times

EU-China talks test unity as tariffs and war frictions dominate

EXPECTATIONS are rock-bottom for a European Union-China summit today that will test European resolve and unity as the bloc faces intense trade pressure from Beijing and the United States, analysts say. European Commission president Ursula von der Leyen and European Council president Antonio Costa plan to press Chinese leaders on rare earths and the war in Ukraine, both areas of tension, during the summit in Beijing. There is little hope for headway, at a time both sides face major challenges sustaining economic growth and Europe struggles to shore up support for Ukraine. Both sides may reach a modest joint statement on climate, a source familiar with the planning said, but no other tangible achievements are expected. In recent speeches, von der Leyen has revived hawkish China rhetoric, accusing China on July 8 of "enabling Russia's war economy" and flooding global markets with overcapacity. "We know that we don't see eye to eye with China on many issues, but we believe that it is essential to have this kind of very direct and open and constructive conversation," said one EU official. A spokesperson for the European Commission referred to a statement announcing the summit, which said leaders would discuss ways of ensuring "a more balanced, reciprocal and mutually beneficial trade relationship". In response to Reuters' questions, the Chinese Foreign Ministry referred to a spokesperson's statement on Monday. "Some people in Europe continue to ... exaggerate specific economic and trade issues and make groundless accusations against China on the Ukraine issue, causing unnecessary interference to China-EU relations," its spokesperson said. The 27-member European Union has also been negotiating hard with Washington after President Donald Trump threatened 30 per cent tariffs on most EU exports from Aug 1, with prospects for a broader trade deal fading. At the Beijing summit, China hopes to press the EU for a solution to its tariffs on China-built electric vehicles, for which Beijing claims price commitment negotiations are in the "final stages". Last week, China threatened to respond to EU sanctions on two Chinese banks and five firms over the Ukraine war. Its Commerce Ministry said on Monday the sanctions "seriously harmed trade, economic and financial ties". Other trade disputes are simmering in the background. China retaliated against EU restrictions on medical device procurement with its own curbs on July 6, and slapped duties on French cognac producers. China's exports to the EU grew in May while its US exports plunged 34.5 per cent in value terms the same month, sparking fears Chinese trade overcapacity is being diverted to the bloc due to US tariffs on Chinese goods. There is also a growing sense that EU firms are collateral damage for China's rare earth export controls that primarily targeted Washington but have disrupted European defence and automotive supply chains. In return for concessions on rare earths, China's asks could include reviving a long-stalled investment agreement after Beijing lifted sanctions on European Parliament members in May, and pushing back on US export curbs on Dutch firm ASML's chipmaking equipment. China has raised both in the weeks leading up to the summit, two sources familiar with the matter said. "The mood is extremely pessimistic in Europe regarding the summit," said Mathieu Duchatel, a director at the Institut Montaigne think tank in Paris. He said that Washington rejected previous EU proposals for coordination on China policy. "There is a sense that the gloves are completely off on the Chinese side. "They sense the transatlantic relationship has weakened and are trying to seize the opportunity." Diplomats and analysts also say that China is growing increasingly frustrated behind closed doors with European officials' repeated insistence on the war in Ukraine, which Beijing views as an obstacle in the relationship. There is little space for constructive dialogue on this, another EU official said, with Chinese counterparts denying evidence of Chinese firms' involvement in supplying dual-use goods to Russia.

DOWNLOAD THE APP

Get Started Now: Download the App

Ready to dive into a world of global content with local flavor? Download Daily8 app today from your preferred app store and start exploring.
app-storeplay-store