Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has urged Donald Trump to visit Ukraine to view firsthand the human cost of Russia’s invasion before any further dialogue with Moscow.
Speaking to CBS News on Friday, Zelenskyy made his appeal in English, asking Trump to first see the destruction caused by Russia before moving ahead with a peace plan.
“Please, before any kind of decisions, any kind of negotiations, come to see people, civilians, warriors, hospitals, churches, children destroyed or dead,” said Zelenskyy.
He added: “Come, look, and then let's move with a plan how to finish the war. You will understand with whom you have a deal. You will understand what Putin did.”
The Ukrainian leader strongly refuted suggestions that a presidential visit would be choreographed to maximize sympathy.
“We will not prepare anything; it will not be theater,” he said. “We don’t do this. We don’t need it. You can go exactly where you want, in any city that has been attacked... Just come and understand.”
Russian narratives prevailing
In February, during Zelenskyy’s disastrous visit to the White House, Vice President JD Vance accused the Ukrainian leader of forging false narratives and taking foreign delegations on “propaganda tours.”
Zelenskyy warned that it was actually Russian narratives that were prevailing.
Speaking in Ukrainian, he said: “How is it possible to witness our losses and our suffering, to understand what Russians are doing, and to still believe that they are not the aggressors, that they did not start this war?”
Hitting back at Trump’s claims earlier this year that Ukraine started the war, Zelenskyy said: “This speaks of the enormous influence that Russia’s information policy [has] on America, on U.S. politics and U.S. politicians.”
Zelenskyy paused when asked if he thought America “had [Ukraine’s] back.” “The United States is our strategic, strong partner, but the pause is doubt,” he said.
He continued: “I don’t doubt that the people of America are with us, but in a long war, many details are forgotten. In Europe, everyone fears that the United States may drift away from Europe.”
Zelenskyy was speaking as fury mounts over Russia’s continued attacks on civilian targets. When asked about Vladimir Putin, Zelenskyy was blunt. “Putin? 100% hatred. Not even 99.9%,” he said.
But he doubled down on his determination to end the war, saying: “This doesn’t mean we shouldn’t work to end the war as soon as possible and transition to diplomacy,” he said.
Deadly Palm Sunday strike
Zelenskyy’s interview with CBS was recorded just days before Russia launched a Palm Sunday missile strike on the northeastern city of Sumy, which left at least 34 people dead and outrage among Western leaders.
Friedrich Merz, who is expected to take over as German chancellor next month, equated the attack to a war crime, while Ursula von der Leyen, the European Commission President, described the attack as “barbaric” and “a blatant violation of international law.”
Retired U.S. Lieutenant General Keith Kellogg, Trump’s current special envoy to Ukraine, said the strike had crossed “any line of decency.” Trump, too, has issued a comment, calling the attack “terrible.”
Trump said that he had been told that Russia had “made a mistake” but did not elaborate further.
“I think it was terrible, and I was told they made a mistake, but I think it’s a horrible thing,” he said.
In his evening address to the nation, Zelenskyy called the attack the work of “deranged scum.”
Russia ‘mocking’ peace talks
On Monday, Polish Foreign Minister Radosław Sikorski highlighted Putin’s reluctance to embrace a peace deal and said that he was mocking America’s good will.
“Ukraine unconditionally agreed to a ceasefire over a month ago. The heinous attacks on Kryvyi Rih and on Sumy are Russia's mocking answer,” said Sikorski ahead of a meeting of EU foreign ministers in Luxembourg.
“I hope that President Trump and the U.S. administration see that the leader of Russia is mocking their goodwill, and I hope the right decisions are taken,” he added.
