Russian missiles hit Ukrainian city of Sumy during Palm Sunday celebrations, killing more than 30

SUMY, Ukraine (AP) — Russian missiles struck the heart of the Ukrainian city of Sumy as people gathered to celebrate Palm Sunday, killing at least 34 people, officials said, in the second large-scale attack to claim civilian lives in just over a week.

The two ballistic missiles hit around 10:15 a.m., officials said. Images from the scene showed lines of black body bags on the side of the road, while more bodies were seen wrapped in foil blankets among the debris. Video footage also showed fire crews fighting to extinguish the shells of burned-out cars among the rubble from damaged buildings.

The dead included two children, the State Emergency Service of Ukraine said in a statement. A further 117 people were wounded, including 15 children, it said.

“Only filthy scum can act like this — taking the lives of ordinary people,” Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said. In a statement on social media, he said the first strike hit buildings belonging to a city university, while the second exploded above street level.

The head of the Ukrainian president’s office, Andriy Yermak, said cluster munitions were used to kill as many people as possible. The Associated Press was unable to verify that claim.

The attack on Sumy followed a deadly April 4 missile strike on Zelenskyy’s hometown of Kryvyi Rih that killed some 20 people, including nine children.

Zelenskyy called for a global response to the attack. “Talks have never stopped ballistic missiles and aerial bombs. What’s needed is an attitude toward Russia that a terrorist deserves,” he said.

Other world leaders also condemned the attack, with French President Emmanuel Macron saying that it undermined Washington-led peace talks between the sides.

“Everyone knows: This war was initiated by Russia alone. And today, it is clear that Russia alone chooses to continue it — with blatant disregard for human lives, international law and the diplomatic efforts" of U.S. President Donald Trump, he wrote in a statement.

Asking about the attack, Trump said late Sunday evening that he was trying to get the war stopped. “I think it was terrible and I was told they made a mistake, but I think it’s a horrible thing. I think the whole war is a horrible thing," he told reporters aboard Air Force One as he returned to Washington. He did not clarify whether he was saying the attack was unintentional.

Elsewhere in Ukraine, two women, ages 62 and 68, and a 48-year-old man were killed in Russian attacks on the Kherson region, local Gov. Oleksandr Prokudin said. Another person was killed during Russian shelling on Ukraine's Donetsk region, Gov. Vadym Filashkin said.

The mayor of the Ukrainian city of Kharkiv, Ihor Terekhov, said a Russian strike hit one of the city’s kindergartens, shattering windows and damaging the building’s facade. No casualties were reported.

The strikes come a day after Russia and Ukraine’s senior diplomats accused each other of violating a tentative U.S.-brokered deal to pause strikes on energy infrastructure, underscoring the challenges of negotiating an end to the three-year war.

The two countries’ foreign ministers spoke at separate events at the annual Antalya Diplomacy Forum a day after U.S. envoy Steve Witkoff met with Russian President Vladimir Putin to discuss peace prospects.

“The Ukrainians have been attacking us from the very beginning, every passing day, maybe with two or three exceptions,” Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said, adding that Moscow would provide the U.S., Turkey and international bodies with a list of Kyiv’s attacks during the past three weeks.

His Ukrainian counterpart, Andrii Sybiha, contested that claim, saying Saturday that Russia had launched almost 70 missiles, over 2,200 exploding drones and more than 6,000 guided aerial bombs at Ukraine, "mostly at civilians" since agreeing to the limited pause on strikes.

Russian forces hold the advantage in Ukraine, and Kyiv has warned that Moscow is planning a fresh spring offensive to ramp up pressure on its foe and improve its negotiating position.

Ukraine has endorsed a broader U.S. ceasefire proposal, but Russia has effectively blocked it by imposing far-reaching conditions. European governments have accused Putin of dragging his feet.

Retired Lt. Gen. Keith Kellogg, Trump’s special envoy to Ukraine, said the Sumy attack crossed “any line of decency” and that the White House remained committed to ending the conflict.

“There are scores of civilian dead and wounded. As a former military leader, I understand targeting, and this is wrong," he said.

U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio called the attack “horrifying” and said it offered “a tragic reminder" of why the administration was trying to end the war in favor of “a just and durable peace.”

Associated Press journalists Volodymr Yuchuk in Kyiv, Ukraine and Katie Marie Davies in Manchester, England contributed to this report.

Follow AP’s coverage of the war in Ukraine at https://apnews.com/hub/russia-ukraine

This story corrects Kellogg’s current title.

In this photo provided by the Ukrainian Emergency Service, searchers clear the rubble following Russia's missile attack that killed at least 32 civilians in Sumy, Ukraine, Sunday, April 13, 2025. (Ukrainian Emergency Service via AP)

Ukrainian servicemen carry a dead body after a Russian missile strike on Sumy, Ukraine, Sunday, April 13, 2025. (AP Photo/Volodymyr Hordiienko)

A rescue worker puts out a fire from a tree after a Russian missile strike on Sumy, Ukraine, Sunday, April 13, 2025. (AP Photo/Volodymyr Hordiienko)

Dead bodies lie on the ground after a Russian missile strike on Sumy, Ukraine, Sunday April 13, 2025. (AP Photo/Volodymyr Hordiienko)

A man cries as he leans on the bus that was hit by a Russian missile on Sumy, Ukraine, Sunday April 13, 2025. (AP Photo/Volodymyr Hordiienko)

In this photo provided by the Ukrainian Emergency Service, firefighters put out the fire following Russia's missile attack that killed at least 20 civilians in Sumy, Ukraine, Sunday, April 13, 2025. (Ukrainian Emergency Service via AP)

Rescue workers clear the rubble of a university building destroyed by a Russian missile strike on Sumy, Ukraine, Sunday, April 13, 2025. (AP Photo/Evgeniy Maloletka)

Rescue workers clear the rubble of a university building destroyed by a Russian missile strike on Sumy, Ukraine, Sunday, April 13, 2025. (AP Photo/Evgeniy Maloletka)

A rescue worker rests near university building destroyed by a Russian missile strike on Sumy, Ukraine, Sunday, April 13, 2025. (AP Photo/Evgeniy Maloletka)

Ukrainian servicemen carry a dead body from a trolleybus after a Russian missile strike on Sumy, Ukraine, Sunday, April 13, 2025. (AP Photo/Volodymyr Hordiienko)

A dead body lies on the ground after a Russian missile strike on Sumy, Ukraine, Sunday April 13, 2025. (AP Photo/Volodymyr Hordiienko)

A damaged public bus is seen in the city center after Russia's missile attack that killed at least 21 civilians in Sumy, Ukraine, Sunday, April 13, 2025. (AP Photo/str)

In this photo provided by the Ukrainian Emergency Service, firefighters carry a body of the victim following Russia's missile attack that killed at least 24 civilians in Sumy, Ukraine, Sunday, April 13, 2025. (Ukrainian Emergency Service via AP)

In this photo provided by the Ukrainian Emergency Service, bodies of the killed residents lie on the ground following Russia's missile attack that killed at least 24 civilians in Sumy, Ukraine, Sunday, April 13, 2025. (Ukrainian Emergency Service via AP)

The city center in the aftermath of the Russia's missile attack that killed at least 21 civilians in Sumy, Ukraine, Sunday, April 13, 2025. (AP Photo)

In this photo provided by the Ukrainian Emergency Service, firefighters inspects a burnt car with victims inside following Russia's missile attack that killed at least 24 civilians in Sumy, Ukraine, Sunday, April 13, 2025. (Ukrainian Emergency Service via AP)

The body of the killed resident lies in a bus following the Russia's missile attack that killed at least 21 civilians in Sumy, Ukraine, Sunday, April 13, 2025. (AP Photo)

The city center in the aftermath of the Russia's missile attack that killed at least 21 civilians in Sumy, Ukraine, Sunday, April 13, 2025. (AP Photo)

The city center in the aftermath of the Russia's missile attack that killed at least 21 civilians in Sumy, Ukraine, Sunday, April 13, 2025. (AP Photo)

The city center in the aftermath of the Russia's missile attack that killed at least 21 civilians in Sumy, Ukraine, Sunday, April 13, 2025. (AP Photo)

In this photo provided by the Ukrainian Parliament Commissioner for Human Rights Press Service, ruines of the regional human rights department building is seen following a Russia's missile attack that killed at least 20 civilians in Sumy, Ukraine, Sunday, April 13, 2025. (Ukrainian Parliament Commissioner for Human Rights Press Service via AP)

In this photo provided by the Ukrainian Emergency Service, firefighters put out the fire following Russia's missile attack that killed at least 20 civilians in Sumy, Ukraine, Sunday, April 13, 2025. (Ukrainian Emergency Service via AP)

In this photo taken from video distributed by Russian Defense Ministry Press Service on Sunday, April 13, 2025, Russian soldiers in an undisclosed location in Ukraine fire an anti-tank missile during exercising. (Russian Defense Ministry Press Service via AP)

In this photo provided by the Ukrainian Emergency Service, firefighters put out the fire following Russia's missile attack that killed at least 20 civilians in Sumy, Ukraine, Sunday, April 13, 2025. (Ukrainian Emergency Service via AP)

In this photo provided by the Ukrainian Parliament Commissioner for Human Rights Press Service, bodies of the killed residents lie on the ground following a Russia's missile attack that killed at least 20 civilians in Sumy, Ukraine, Sunday, April 13, 2025. (Ukrainian Parliament Commissioner for Human Rights Press Service via AP)

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — Iran 's president formally approved the resignation of one of his vice presidents who served as Tehran's key negotiator in its 2015 nuclear deal with world powers, just as the head of the United Nations' nuclear watchdog was due to arrive in the Islamic Republic on Wednesday.

President Masoud Pezeshkian's announcement late Tuesday regarding Mohammad Javad Zarif comes as Iran prepares for a second round of negotiations with the United States over its rapidly advancing nuclear program.

Meanwhile, the visit by Rafael Mariano Grossi, the head of the International Atomic Energy Agency, scheduled to start Wednesday may include negotiations over just what access his inspectors can get under any proposed deal.

The stakes of the negotiations couldn’t be higher for the two nations closing in on half a century of enmity. U.S. President Donald Trump repeatedly has threatened to unleash airstrikes targeting Iran’s nuclear program if a deal isn’t reached. Iranian officials increasingly warn that they could pursue a nuclear weapon with their stockpile of uranium enriched to near weapons-grade levels.

Zarif served as a key supporter of Pezeshkian in his election last year but drew criticism from hard-liners within Iran's Shiite theocracy, who long have alleged Zarif gave away too much in negotiations.

In March, Zarif tendered his resignation to Pezeshkian. However, the president did not immediately respond to the letter. Zarif has used resignation announcements in the past in his political career as leverage, including in a dispute last year over the composition of Pezeshkian’s Cabinet. The president had rejected that resignation.

But on late Tuesday, a statement from the presidency said Pezeshkian wrote Zarif a letter praising him but accepting his resignation.

“Pezeshkian emphasized that due to certain issues, his administration can no longer benefit from Zarif’s valuable knowledge and expertise,” a statement from the presidency said.

The president in a decree appointed Mohsen Ismaili, 59, to be his new vice president for strategic affairs. In Iran's political system, the president has multiple vice presidents. Ismaili is known as a political moderate and a legal expert.

Grossi meanwhile was due to arrive in Tehran and have meetings with Pezeshkian and others.

Since the nuclear deal’s collapse in 2018 with Trump's unilateral withdraw of the U.S. from the accord, Iran has abandoned all limits on its program, and enriches uranium to up to 60% purity — near weapons-grade levels of 90%.

Surveillance cameras installed by the IAEA have been disrupted, while Iran has barred some of the Vienna-based agency’s most experienced inspectors. Iranian officials also have increasingly threatened that they could pursue atomic weapons, something the West and the IAEA have been worried about for years since Tehran abandoned an organized weapons program in 2003.

Any possible deal between Iran and the U.S. likely would need to rely on the IAEA's expertise to ensure Tehran's compliance. And despite tensions between Iran and the agency, its access has not been entirely revoked.

It remains unclear where the next round of talks will be held, though they are scheduled for Saturday. Officials initially identified Rome as hosting the negotiations, only for Iran to insist early Tuesday they would return to Oman. American officials so far haven’t said where the talks will be held, though Trump did call Oman’s Sultan Haitham bin Tariq on Tuesday while the ruler was on a trip to the Netherlands.

Meanwhile, Iran's Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi on Wednesday warned the U.S. about taking contradictory stances in the talks.

That likely refers to comments from U.S. Mideast envoy Steve Witkoff, who this week initially suggested a deal could see Iran go back to 3.67% uranium enrichment — like in the 2015 deal reached by the Obama administration. Witkoff then followed up with saying "a deal with Iran will only be completed if it is a Trump deal.”

“Iran must stop and eliminate its nuclear enrichment and weaponization program,” he wrote on the social platform X. “It is imperative for the world that we create a tough, fair deal that will endure, and that is what President Trump has asked me to do.”

Araghchi warned America about taking any “contradictory and opposing stances” in the talks.

“Enrichment is a real and accepted issue, and we are ready for trust building about possible concerns," Araghchi said. But losing the right to enrich at all "is not negotiable.”

Karimi reported from Tehran, Iran.

FILE - US Secretary of State John Kerry, left, listens to Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif, as they walk in the city of Geneva, Switzerland, Jan. 14, 2015, during a bilateral meeting ahead of the next round of nuclear discussions. (AP Photo/Keystone, Martial Trezzini, File)

FILE - U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry, left, meets with Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif at United Nations headquarters, on Sept. 26, 2015. (AP Photo/Craig Ruttle, File)

FILE - Iran's Foreign Minister Mohammad Zarif smiles during a meeting with students on a climate change forum at the Gabriel René Moreno Autonomous University, in Santa Cruz Bolivia, on July 23, 2019. (AP Photo/Juan Karita, File)