Bridget Brink, the outgoing US Ambassador to Ukraine, has responded to the Russian missile attack on the city of Sumy that occurred on the morning of 13 April.

Source: Brink on X (Twitter), as reported by European Pravda

Details: Brink noted that Russia launched ballistic missiles at Sumy, killing 32 Ukrainian civilians and injuring another 99.

She added that reports indicated the use of cluster munitions in Sumy, as in Kryvyi Rih, which only increased the scale of destruction and harm to civilians.

"Our prayers are with the people of Sumy," Brink concluded in her statement, which did not include any condemnation or criticism of Russia.

Background: 

• Recently, Brink faced public criticism from President Volodymyr Zelenskyy after she failed to mention Russia in a post about the deadly Russian missile strike on Kryvyi Rih on 4 April.
• Shortly after, media outlets reported that Brink was considering resigning from her post. On 10 April, the US State Department confirmed her departure.
• The Financial Times said the ambassador faced increasing pressure from senior officials in the Trump administration who questioned her willingness to support their strategy on Ukraine.
• An FT analysis of Brink’s posts on platform X (Twitter) before and after Trump’s inauguration on 20 January revealed a marked shift in her public messaging, especially regarding Russia.
• In the 75 days before Trump took office, Brink criticised Russia and its war in Ukraine 53 times. In the 75 days after, she posted only five messages mentioning Russia – none of which directly blamed it for the attacks.

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