The G7 countries were set to formally condemn Russia for a deadly missile strike in Ukraine. Then, Donald Trump intervened and blocked the statement.
Russia launched two short-range ballistic missiles on Palm Sunday morning, one of them packed with cluster bombs. The target: Sumy, a city in northeastern Ukraine. The missiles hit while people were in church. President Volodymyr Zelensky said the attack killed 35 people and injured 119 others — including children.
The world’s leading democracies wanted to respond. The other G7 nations — including Canada, which currently leads the group — had prepared a joint statement condemning Russia for the strike. But the U.S., under Trump’s leadership, refused to sign on, according to Bloomberg News.
Trump’s team claimed they were trying to “preserve the space to negotiate peace.” But without U.S. support, the statement was dead on arrival. “You can’t have a G7 statement if one of the seven says no,” said a Canadian official familiar with the talks.
This is the latest sign that Trump is pulling the U.S. away from Ukraine. Since returning to power, he’s shifted America’s position — no longer backing Ukraine fully, but instead pushing for a peace deal, even if that means giving in to Russian demands.
At a recent meeting with El Salvador’s president, Trump blamed Zelensky for the war. “He’s always looking to purchase missiles,” Trump said. “When you start a war, you got to know that you can win the war. You don’t start a war against somebody that’s 20 times your size and then hope that people give you some missiles.”
For the record, Zelensky didn’t start the war. Russia invaded Ukraine in 2022.
Trump also labeled Zelensky a “dictator” — pointing to Ukraine’s suspended elections. But Ukraine’s constitution requires elections to be paused during wartime. Even opposition leaders in Ukraine agree with that decision.
While Ukraine buries its dead, Trump is blocking global outrage — and giving Russia more room to act.
