According to BBC News, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has invited former U.S. President Donald Trump to visit Ukraine before making any peace deal with Russia. In an interview with CBS’s 60 Minutes, Zelensky urged Trump to witness the destruction caused by the war firsthand.
“Please, before making any decisions or starting talks, come and see the people, the soldiers, the destroyed hospitals, churches, and the children who have been hurt or killed,” Zelensky said.
The interview was filmed before a deadly Russian missile strike hit the city of Sumy on Sunday, killing 35 people and injuring 117 more. Russia claimed the attack targeted a meeting of Ukrainian soldiers, saying they killed 60 troops. However, no evidence was provided. Trump later commented that he had been told it was a mistake, without saying who gave him that information.
According to BBC News, the site of the missile strike, a conference center, was completely destroyed, leaving a massive crater. Ukrainian officials haven’t confirmed whether soldiers were meeting there, but a local mayor called for the resignation of security officials if such a gathering took place.
The attack came during a time when the U.S., Ukraine’s strongest ally, is seeking a peaceful end to the war under Trump’s leadership. Trump’s envoy, retired General Keith Kellogg, condemned the strike, saying it “crossed any line of decency.”
So far, Trump has not accepted Zelensky’s invitation to visit. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent is the only top U.S. official to visit Kyiv recently, reportedly pressuring Ukraine to sign a deal that favored American interests in return for continued aid — a deal Zelensky refused.
Meanwhile, European leaders strongly condemned the Sumy attack. Germany’s incoming chancellor Friedrich Merz called it a “serious war crime,” and French President Emmanuel Macron accused Russia of showing “blatant disregard for human life.” UN Secretary-General António Guterres said attacks on civilians are unacceptable under international law.
According to BBC News, the war has killed or injured hundreds of thousands since it began in 2022, with nearly 7 million Ukrainians now living as refugees. The conflict traces back to 2014 when Russia annexed Crimea and backed separatists in eastern Ukraine.
