Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy called it dangerous to remain silent about Russia’s guilt in the strike on Kryvyi Rih, stating that doing so only encourages the aggressor country to continue the war and ignore diplomacy.

The Russian ballistic missile strike on a residential district in Zelenskyy’s hometown killed at least 18 people, including 9 children, and wounded over 70 others. It came amid the Trump administration’s continued push to broker a ceasefire between Russia and Ukraine, which analysts fear would push Ukraine into a bad peace that would give Russia time to prepare for a new war.

“Yesterday evening and today, many in the world declared their position after this strike – a position of clear rejection of Russian terror. Everyone who sees this and does not close their eyes but speaks the truth clearly deserves gratitude not only from us in Ukraine but from the whole world,” Zelenskyy said in his evening address.

“Staying silent about the fact that it is Russia killing children with ballistic missiles is wrong and dangerous. It only emboldens the scum in Moscow to continue the war and keep ignoring diplomacy. Weakness has never ended a war,” he stressed.

Zelenskyy emphasized that “Russia must be held accountable for everything it has done. To end this war, it is necessary to put pressure on them – real pressure – without wasting time on empty talk.”

The address appears to be a hidden stab at the US Ambassador to Ukraine Bridget Brink’s reaction to the strike, in which she avoided explicitly stating that the missile that killed the civilians in Zelenskyy’s hometown was Russian. Zelenskyy had earlier criticized it for being “weak.”

Following the attack, US Ambassador to Ukraine Bridget Brink tweeted, “Horrified that tonight a ballistic missile struck near a playground and restaurant in Kryvyi Rih. More than 50 people injured and 16 killed, including 6 children. This is why the war must end,” without mentioning Russia in the post.