Netherlands condemns Russian attack on Ukrainian city Sumy; "Horrible," PM Schoof says

The Russian attack on Sumy on Sunday shows once again that the pressure on Russia must be increased and support for Ukraine must continue, said Prime Minister Dick Schoof. Both he and Minister Caspar Veldkamp of Foreign Affairs spoke of a “horrible attack.”

The attack with two ballistic missiles on the city in the northeast of Ukraine left at least 32 dead and almost a hundred people injured. The missiles hit the center of Sumy, among other places, and images show dead and injured people lying on the street. A trolley bus was also destroyed.

Schoof spoke of a “horrible attack” in a post on X. The government announced on Friday that it will provide Ukraine with an air defence system for intercepting drones and cruise missiles. It concerns the I-Hawk, worth 150 million euros.

According to Veldkamp, the “horrible attack” shows “that Russia still has every intention of continuing this war in an intensified manner.” It also shows that “we all have to stand on Ukraine’s side” and increase the pressure on Russia, the Minister said on Monday before the start of a meeting of EU foreign Ministers.

According to Veldkamp, continued support for Ukraine is necessary to prevent the country from having to “stand with a knife to its throat while negotiations are taking place.” It will also send a joint message to both Moscow and Washington “that it is clear that Putin is not doing his best to quickly reach a peace deal.”

The EU is working on a 17th sanctions package against Russia. Veldkamp said that because Hungary is always obstructing new and extended sanction packages, the EU can “only take small steps.” But together, “they mean a lot,” he said. “The war effort and the sanctions pressure are causing countless cracks and fissures to appear in the Russian economy.”