How Europe changes its rhetoric on Ukraine and the war amid Trump's statements
The Russian missile strike on Sumy on the morning of 13 April leaves no room for ambiguity in how it should be characterised. It is far from the first obvious, indisputable war crime committed by Russia during its missile attacks on Ukraine. And seemingly, the world's response to such actions by Russia should consistently be firm and harsh.
The reality, however, is somewhat different. Read more to learn how European narratives around the war in Ukraine began to shift in 2025 in the article by European Pravda editor Sergiy Sydorenko - From punishment to reconciliation: how the world's response to Russia's war crimes has changed. One of the key differences in how foreign leaders now speak about Russian crimes compared to the past concerns the issue of punishing Russian war criminals.
For comparison, we analysed how the West responded to the massive missile strike on Kyiv on 8 July 2024, which included the bombing of the Okhmatdyt children's hospital, a maternity ward at Adonis, a residential building in Syrets, and more.
33 people were killed in the capital, including five children - a tragedy on the same scale as what happened in Sumy. Another similarity: despite Moscow's attempts to spread disinformation, the guilt of Russia was clear to all Western leaders (except perhaps Orban). So, in 2024, calls for holding Russia accountable sounded logical and expected.
The United States was almost the only major NATO country whose officials, after the strike on Okhmatdyt, carefully avoided the topic of punishing Russia. Joe Biden issued a statement about the tragedy and Russia's guilt but did not mention accountability. The same omission was found in the White House's statement in July 2024. Only Michael Carpenter, then serving on the US National Security Council, noted that Russia's actions should be "investigated" (without mentioning punishment).
And what about 2025? US President Donald Trump called the Russian strike on Sumy a supposed "mistake." Comments from Ambassador Brink, Special Representative Kellogg, Secretary of State Rubio, and others also failed to mention punishing the perpetrators.
Crucially, the American "virus of detachment" has spread to Europe as well. Only European Council President Antonio Costa stated that those responsible for the attacks must be brought to justice, and he was supported by a few capitals known for their strong anti-Russian stance, like Lithuania. The rest postponed any talk of criminal punishment for Russia's leadership and instead emphasised sanctions.
This shift in focus can be explained: now that Washington is unwilling to pursue justice against Putin and his circle but still supports sanctions, Ukraine's European allies may feel that statements along those lines have more impact. But the most striking difference is not what disappeared. It's what appeared in the statements.
And here again, the influence of Trump and his push for a currently non-existent "peace deal" between Ukraine and Russia can be felt. In July 2024, the only official to talk about the need for a "ceasefire" after the strikes on Kyiv was Viktor Orban, and his comments sparked public outrage across Europe. By contrast, in April 2025, nearly every Western politician's post includes a mention of Ukraine and Russia needing to "agree on peace."
However, unlike the Americans, European leaders do not miss the chance to stress: pressure on Russia and Putin is an essential part of the road to the "peace" the US and Trump claim to seek. "We need to increase pressure on Russia and provide strong military support to Ukraine. Ukraine is defending not just its own freedom, but ours as well," said Swedish Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson.
Unfortunately, there are fewer leaders willing to publicly declare this than one would hope.
Fortunately, some still do exist in Europe, and the response to Russia's crime in Sumy proves that.
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