Putin resists Trump’s peace attempts while Ukraine’s civilian death toll rises

The deadliest missile strike on Ukraine this year pushed up the civilian death toll from Russia’s invasion and widened divisions between the U.S. and Kyiv’s European allies over President Donald Trump’s strategy for ending the war.

Ukraine and European countries said the latest Russian missile strike in the city of Sumy on Sunday, which killed 34 people and left an additional 100 injured, showed Russian President Vladimir Putin wasn’t interested in good faith negotiations for a peace deal.

Ukraine’s President Zelenskyy posted on X that “Russia wants exactly this kind of terror and is dragging this war out. Without pressure on Russia, peace is impossible. Talks have never stopped ballistic missiles and aerial bombs. What’s needed is an attitude toward Russia that a terrorist deserves.”

President Trump has been frustrated with what he describes as Putin “dragging his feet” during negotiations. The question now is what will Mr Trump do about this? Calling Putin out is one thing, but doing something that will punish Russia for this is another.

At some point, Trump might tell Putin through back channels to agree to a ceasefire deal, or he will start arming Ukraine even more. It’s difficult to know where the talks are between the US and Russia, and if the dynamic has changed.

But these developments will increase the pressure on Trump to act. And with Trump, any action is on the table.