Russia’s attack on the Ukrainian border city of Sumy has placed unwelcome emphasis on just how little fruit the White House’s relentless pursuit of diplomacy has borne.

In the aftermath of the strike, Volodymyr Zelenskiy called on the U.S. and Europe to get tough on Russia in response to what he described as terrorism.

Russia’s statement that it hit a Ukrainian officers’ meeting in Sumy contradicts Trump’s claim he had been told the attack was a “mistake”. Russia's defence ministry reportedly said it hit a meeting of Ukrainian commanding officers in Sumy with two Iskander missiles after Trump defended the attack as a "mistake".