Ukrainian officials seek US support as Russian strike on Sumi kills 4

UPDATED: Jun 4, 2025 05:06 IST

Senior Ukrainian officials visited Washington on Tuesday to rally continued US support against Russia, even as Kyiv accused Moscow of stalling in peace talks and escalating attacks on Ukrainian cities.

The visit, led by President Zelenskyy’s chief of staff Andriy Yermak and Deputy Prime Minister Yulia Svyrydenko, comes as a Russian artillery strike on the northern Ukrainian city of Sumy killed four civilians, intensifying calls from Kyiv for international backing.

Yermak met with US officials, including Ukraine envoy Keith Kellogg and scheduled talks with Secretary of State Marco Rubio. He accused Moscow of manipulating peace talks to delay further sanctions and avoid agreeing to a ceasefire. “Russia is playing for time,” Yermak wrote on Telegram, adding that Ukraine is fully behind the US-proposed ceasefire and ready for a high-level summit, which Russia continues to resist.

Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha was more direct, saying Russia failed to respond to Ukraine’s proposals during Monday’s second round of peace talks in Istanbul. "We demand Russia’s reply. Each day of silence from them proves their wish to continue the war," Sybiha said, rejecting Moscow’s latest demands as outdated ultimatums.

Despite limited progress at the Istanbul talks, highlighted by a potential prisoner swap, Russia insists Ukraine is the one lacking sincerity. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov described the situation as "extremely complex" and warned against expecting swift breakthroughs.

On the battlefield, Ukraine demonstrated its resilience with a covert attack on a key bridge connecting Russia to Crimea. The bridge, a symbol of Russia’s 2014 annexation of the peninsula, was damaged underwater by explosives, though Russia later claimed traffic had resumed.

Kyiv also struck Russian-controlled areas in Zaporizhzhia and Kherson, targeting power infrastructure in retaliation for earlier Russian attacks that plunged parts of Ukraine into darkness. Over the weekend, Ukraine hit Russian military airfields, some housing nuclear-capable bombers, prompting Russian military bloggers to call for retaliation.

In response to growing military pressure, Zelenskyy announced a reshuffle in military leadership, saying Ukraine must remain combat-ready more than three years into the war. “This strike on Sumy shows everything about Russia’s so-called desire for peace,” Zelenskyy said in his nightly address.

Amid these developments, Ukrainian officials also discussed potential US investment in Ukrainian mineral projects and reconstruction efforts, seeking to bolster Ukraine’s long-term resilience both economically and militarily.

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