A car on fire next to damaged buildings in Kryvyi Rih, in the Dnipropetrovsk region, after a reported missile strike during the Russian invasion of Ukraine. (Credit: AFP.)
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky on Saturday denounced the 'weak' reaction of the U.S. embassy in Ukraine to a strike that killed 18 people, including children, the day before in Kryvyi Rih. He accused them of being 'afraid' to blame Russia. According to local authorities, a Russian missile attack on Friday killed at least 18 people, including several minors, in a residential area and near a children's playground in this central Ukrainian city.
The U.S. ambassador to Ukraine, Bridget Brink, expressed her horror at this 'ballistic missile strike' Friday evening, without mentioning its origin. 'Unfortunately, the response of the U.S. embassy is unpleasantly surprising: such a strong country and people, and such a weak reaction,' criticized Volodymyr Zelensky on Saturday. 'They are even afraid to say the word 'Russian' when talking about the missile that killed the children,' he added on social media.
It is rare for Volodymyr Zelensky to adopt such a tone publicly when talking about his allies.
The U.S. has been Ukraine's primary military and financial backer since the start of the Russian invasion in February 2022, but President Donald Trump has increasingly criticized Volodymyr Zelensky in recent months. The two men had a public verbal altercation at the White House at the end of February. Even though tensions have since eased, their relationship still appears fragile.
Donald Trump has moved closer to Russian President Vladimir Putin, claiming he wants to negotiate an end to the war as quickly as possible. His overture to Moscow was poorly received in Kyiv, even though Trump has since also threatened Russia with new sanctions.
Bridget Brink was appointed ambassador in 2022 by Trump's Democratic predecessor, Joe Biden, who had a much tougher stance against the Kremlin. In her recent reactions to attacks in Ukraine, she avoids directly naming Russia, which she used to do regularly before.
Three years old
Friday's strike in Kryvyi Rih, one of the worst in recent weeks, was particularly shocking because of the young age of some of the victims. The deceased minors were aged three to 17, according to Volodymyr Zelensky, who was born in Kryvyi Rih. Images posted on social media, whose authenticity could not be verified, showed bodies, including one lying in front of swings. A widely shared video showed a very young unconscious boy that rescuers tried to revive. He succumbed to his injuries, according to Ukrainian media.
About sixty people were also injured, according to local authorities.
The Russian Defense Ministry claimed to have conducted a 'precision strike' on a restaurant 'where commanders and Western instructors were meeting.' The Ukrainian army insisted it was 'false information' spread by Moscow to 'cover up its cynical crime.'
Volodymyr Zelensky referred to another part of the U.S. ambassador's statement, which said that such strikes were the reason the war must end. 'Yes, the war must cease. But to achieve this, we must not be afraid to call a spade a spade,' he said, calling for 'pressure' on Vladimir Putin. He called for new sanctions against Russia.
Volodymyr Zelensky also claimed that Trump had 'promised' to help Ukraine acquire more air defense systems to counter drone or missile attacks.
Moratorium and accusations
Ukraine accuses Russia of playing for time to take advantage of its front-line advantage to conquer more territories. The United States had proposed an unconditional 30-day cease-fire, accepted by Kyiv but not by Vladimir Putin.
President Trump could only secure, after separate negotiations in Saudi Arabia, an agreement for a cease-fire in the Black Sea and a moratorium on strikes on energy infrastructure.
Kyiv and Moscow have been accusing each other daily of violating this very vague moratorium by targeting energy facilities. The Russian Defense Ministry has accused Ukraine of attacking such infrastructure 14 times from Friday to Saturday. As for the maritime truce, the Kremlin later conditioned it on the lifting of sanctions by Western countries, which Europe does not seem ready to accept.
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