Zelensky urges Trump to visit Ukraine before making any deals with Putin

In an interview on the CBS News program 60 Minutes on Sunday, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky urged U.S. President Donald Trump to visit Ukraine so he could “understand what’s going on here.”

“We respect your position. You understand. 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. […] You will understand what Putin did,” Zelensky said in English, directly addressing Trump.

Zelensky argued that if Ukrainians don’t stand firm, Vladimir Putin “will advance further” in Ukraine. “Putin's ultimate goal is to revive the Russian Empire and reclaim territories currently under NATO protection. […] Considering all of this, I believe it could escalate into a world war,” he said.

Zelensky also claimed that Russian narratives are “prevailing” in the U.S. “How is it possible to witness our losses and our suffering, to understand what the Russians are doing, and to still believe that they are not the aggressors, that they did not start this war? This speaks to the enormous influence of Russia's information policy on America, on U.S. politics, and U.S. politicians,” he said.

The interview was filmed in Kryvyi Rih, Zelensky’s hometown, which was hit by a Russian missile strike on April 4 that killed 20 people, including nine children.

Trump has not responded directly to Zelensky’s invitation, but after the interview aired, he made a post criticizing 60 Minutes on his platform Truth Social. He claimed the show — which has been sued for billions over election fraud — mentions his name “almost every week” in a “derogatory and defamatory way.”

“…but this Weekend’s 'BROADCAST' tops them all,” Trump wrote. “They did not one, but TWO, major stories on “TRUMP,” one having to do with Ukraine.” He added that he was “honored” to be suing the program and said the network “should lose their license.”