 "US President Donald Trump shouts at Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy during their interaction with the press at the White House in Washington, DC, on February 28, 2025. Reuters File")
A day after Sunday’s ballistic missile attack killed at least 34 people in Sumy, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy invited his American counterpart Donald Trump to visit his war-ravaged country and witness the destruction wrought by Russia.
According to a Politico report, which cited an interview on the American news program 60 Minutes, Zelenskyy was asked whether he would invite Trump to Ukraine.
His response, “With pleasure.”
“We want you to come,” he said, addressing Trump directly, “to come and to see.”
“You think you understand what’s going on here. OK, we respect your position … But, please, before any kind of decisions, any kind of forms of negotiations, come to see people, civilians, warriors, hospitals, churches, children destroyed or dead,” Zelenskyy was quoted as saying.
Zelenskyy’s appeal came just hours after a Russian missile strike on the northern Ukrainian city of Sumy left at least 34 people dead and 117 others injured as they gathered to celebrate Palm Sunday.
The attack, widely condemned by Kyiv’s allies, stands as one of the deadliest assaults on Ukraine so far this year.
“Come, look, and then let’s — let’s move with a plan how to finish the war,” Zelenskyy said.
“You will understand with whom you have a deal. You will understand what Putin did,” he added.
Impact Shorts
More ShortsThe visit would not be staged with “actors,” Zelenskyy said, adding Trump could “go exactly where you want, in any city” shelled by Moscow.
On Sunday, the Kremlin launched two ballistic missiles at the city of Sumy, killing dozens of civilians who had gathered to celebrate a religious holiday.
The strike followed a separate Russian missile attack earlier this month on the central Ukrainian city of Kryvyi Rih, which left at least 18 people dead, including nine children.
US President Donald Trump referred to Sunday’s strike as a “horrible” accident, though he offered no evidence to support the claim.
“I think it was terrible, and I was told they (Russia) made a mistake,” Politico quoted Trump as saying.
“But I think it’s a horrible thing. I think the whole war is a horrible thing,” he added.
Russia has consistently targeted civilian infrastructure throughout its three-year full-scale invasion of Ukraine. Most recently, a Russian drone strike overnight hit a medical facility in Odesa, injuring at least five people.
Efforts led by President Trump to broker an end to the conflict have largely stalled. A US-mediated 30-day partial ceasefire was repeatedly violated by the Kremlin and has since expired.
Last week, US envoy Steve Witkoff met with Russian President Vladimir Putin in another attempt to advance peace talks. However, Putin rejected the proposal for a full ceasefire, instead issuing a lengthy list of demands for concessions from Ukraine as conditions for ending the war.
On Saturday, Trump hedged that the Ukraine-Russia talks “might be OK,” but added, “There’s a point where you need to either put up or shut up.”
It is unclear whether he was referring to Russia or Ukraine.
With inputs from agencies