Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has invited former US President Donald Trump to visit Ukraine and witness firsthand the destruction caused by Russia’s invasion. The invitation came during an interview aired Sunday on CBS’s 60 Minutes.
The interview was recorded before the deadly Russian missile strike on the northeastern city of Sumy, which took place on Sunday and killed at least 34 people, drawing international condemnation.
Addressing Trump, Zelensky said:
“We want you to come and see. You think you understand what’s happening here. Very well, we will respect your decision.
But please- before you make any decision, before any kind of negotiation- come and see the people, the civilians, the soldiers, the hospitals, the churches, the children, the people- injured or dead. Come, see, and then let’s make a plan to end the war.” He added, “You will understand what Putin has done.”
With Trump appearing to lose patience over Putin’s refusal to accept a ceasefire proposal, Zelensky underlined his own stance: “Putin cannot be trusted.”
“I have told President Trump repeatedly… Putin never wanted this war to stop. He never wanted us to be independent. Putin wants to destroy us entirely.”
When asked about Trump’s past claim that he considered Zelensky a “dictator,” and the assertion that Kyiv provoked the war, Zelensky said he believes “the Russian perspective is dominant” within the new American administration.
According to him, this reflects “the enormous influence of Russian propaganda on US policy and its political class.”
White House: Russia’s Sumy strike a ‘brutal reminder’ of the need for negotiations
The White House called Sunday’s deadly missile strike on Sumy a “brutal reminder” of the urgent need for negotiations to end “this horrific war.”
“The missile strike on Sumy is a stark and brutal reminder of why President Donald Trump’s efforts to end this horrific war are taking place at such a critical moment,” said National Security Council spokesperson Brian Hughes in a press statement.
UN chief Guterres ‘shocked’ by deadly Russian strike
UN Secretary-General António Guterres is “deeply disturbed” and “shocked” by the Russian attack that killed at least 34 people in Sumy on Sunday.
“This attack, on Palm Sunday and at the start of Holy Week, continues a devastating pattern of similar assaults on Ukrainian cities in recent weeks, resulting in civilian casualties and widespread destruction,” said UN spokesperson Stéphane Dujarric.
Read also: Trump to speak with Putin on Tuesday about ending war in Ukraine
