News :Trump calls Sumy missile strike a ‘mistake.’ But Russia’s war seems to be raging on exactly to Putin’s plan :read More

I was told they made a mistake.” This is the way US President Donald Trump characterized Russia’s “horrific” double-tap missile strike on central Sumy, Ukraine, on Saturday, which allegedly used cluster munitions to maximize casualties.

The Iskander missiles reportedly utilized are accurate, and the use of two of them could suggest a degree of purpose and malice, aimed at hitting first responders too as they rush in.

It is unlikely the Kremlin saw the error of its ways – this tactic being now so common – and perhaps a sympathizer is instead excusing Russia to the US president.

The weekend’s strike was, to Ukraine’s allies, a gruesome reminder of Moscow’s true intent in its invasion: to terrify Ukrainians into submission. The target, Sumy, is also in Russia’s immediate crosshairs, as President Vladimir Putin claims to seek a buffer zone inside of Ukraine by pounding this thriving border city.

The attack also placed unwelcome emphasis on just how little fruit the White House’s relentless pursuit of diplomacy has borne. Trump said Friday on social media that Russia had to “get moving,” but provided no deadlines or explicit consequences if it did not, although secondary tariffs on its oil purchasers have been floated.

Trump has made similar comments before – admonishing Moscow for its onslaught on Ukraine’s civilians, while also expressing broader grief at the tragedy of war in general, rather than fury at the Kremlin’s specific massacres, say of nine children at a Kryvyi Rih playground days earlier.