Zelensky Notes US Left 'Russia' Out of Attack Response

'Such a weak reaction' to strike that killed children, post says
Posted Apr 5, 2025 2:30 PM CDT
Zelensky Criticizes US Reaction to Strike That Killed 9 Children
In this photo provided by the Presidential Press Office, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky meets with Chief of Staff of the French Armed Forces Thierry Burkhard and Britain's Chief of the Defense Staff Admiral Tony Radakin in Kyiv on Saturday.   (Ukrainian Presidential Press Office via AP)

Listing the nine children killed in a missile strike, from 3-year-old Tymofiy to 17-year-old Nikita, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky on Saturday shamed the US for a response that didn't mention the nation that fired the missiles. "Such a powerful country, such a powerful nation—and such a weak reaction," he wrote on social media, the Wall Street Journal reports. "They are afraid even to say the word 'Russia,' speaking about a missile that killed children." Another nine people were killed in the strike Friday on Zelensky's hometown of Kryvyi Rih, and 61 were reported injured.

Zelensky expressed gratitude to European allies and Japan for their reactions to the attack, but not for US Ambassador Bridget Brink's blameless statement. Her post on X, per CNN, read: "Horrified that tonight a ballistic missile struck near a playground and restaurant in Kryvyi Rih. More than 50 people injured and 16 killed, including 6 children. This is why the war must end." Later Saturday, Zelensky told the nation that it's "wrong and dangerous to keep silent about the fact that it is Russia that is killing children with ballistic (missiles)."

UK Ambassador Martin Harris wrote on X: "While Ukraine pursues peace, Russia is striking civilians far from the frontline." And German Ambassador Martin Jaeger said, "Russia is the aggressor" in his post about the strike. Zelensky also called for more sanctions as part the effort to push Russia toward peace. "It's necessary to pressure Russia, which chooses the murder of children instead of a cease-fire," he wrote. (More Russia-Ukraine war stories.)

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