Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has thanked international partners for their support following missile strikes on Kryvyi Rih but noted that the U.S. response to the tragedy was insufficiently strong.
The head of state wrote about this on Telegram, according to Ukrinform.
“Tragically, three-year-old Tymofii died in the hospital today. Seven-year-old Radyslav. Arina, who will forever be seven as well. Nine-year-old Herman. Fifteen-year-old Danylo. Fifteen-year-old Mykyta. Fifteen-year-old Alina. Kostiantyn, who will forever be sixteen. Nikita – seventeen. These are the children killed by a Russian ballistic missile strike on Kryvyi Rih. There were only a few minutes after the missile was launched from the enemy’s Taganrog area. Unfortunately, nine adults were also killed. My condolences to all the families and loved ones,” Zelensky said.
He noted that 62 people were injured in the strike (72 people injured in the attack according to the latest reports – ed.), including 12 children. According to him, Russian forces also used attack drones against Kryvyi Rih yesterday — during the rescue operation itself. The drone strikes wounded seven people and killed one.
“It is critically important not to leave this Russian strike on civilians, on the city — every such strike — without a response from the world. Kryvyi Rih and all of Ukraine have already been supported by many yesterday and today. I am grateful for the principled stance of the foreign ministers of the Czech Republic, Finland, Lithuania, Latvia, Estonia, and Austria. I thank the High Representative of the European Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy for her position and support. We value the principled statements made by the Embassies of Japan, the United Kingdom, Switzerland, and Germany. Unfortunately, the response from the U.S. Embassy is surprisingly disappointing — such a strong country, such a strong people, and yet such a weak reaction. They are afraid to even say the word ‘Russian’ when speaking about the missile that murdered children,” Zelensky wrote.
He said that ending the war requires the courage to call things by their names and to exert pressure on the one who continues aggression and ignores all international proposals to end it.
“We must pressure Russia — the one choosing to kill children instead of choosing a ceasefire. There must be additional sanctions against those who cannot exist without ballistic strikes on their neighboring nation. We must do everything in our capacity to save lives. And we have discussed this, in particular with the American side, the additional air defense systems supply to defend against precisely these types of missile attacks. We count on our agreements with the President of the United States, who promised to help find more Patriots. And we count on the strength of the world to overcome this evil — this war, this Russian aggression,” Zelensky said.
He added that stopping the killing of civilians, saving children’s lives, and establishing lasting peace is possible only through strength and coordinated action by Ukraine’s partners.
Late on April 4, Russian forces launched a ballistic missile strike on a residential area in Kryvyi Rih.
Source: US response to missile strike on Kryvyi Rih 'surprisingly disappointing' – Zelensky
