"You will understand what Putin did." Zelenskyy urges Trump to come to Ukraine before negotiations

President Volodymyr Zelenskyy urged US President Donald Trump to visit Ukraine before proposing any peace initiatives to end the war. According to the head of state, a personal visit will allow the American politician to see the consequences of russian aggression with his own eyes.

Zelenskyy said this in an interview with CBS News during a trip to Kryvyi Rih, where a russian missile strike on April 4 killed 19 people, including 9 children.

"We respect your position. But, please, before making any decisions, any plans for negotiations, come and see the people, civilians, soldiers, hospitals, churches, destroyed or dead children," Zelenskyy addressed Trump.

The President emphasized that without personal familiarization with the reality of the war, it is premature to talk about negotiations.

"Come, watch, and then we will move forward with a plan to end the war. You will understand who you are dealing with. You will understand what (Russian dictator Vladimir) Putin has done," he added.

Zelenskyy also pointed out that the systematic russian shelling of Ukrainian cities makes any agreements with moscow impossible: "This means that we cannot trust Russia, this means that we cannot trust negotiations with Russia."

In addition, the head of state drew attention to the influence of russian propaganda in the United States: "I believe, unfortunately, (that) Russian narratives prevail in the United States. How can you witness our losses and our suffering, understand what the Russians are doing, and at the same time believe that they are not the aggressors, that they did not start this war? This speaks of the enormous influence of Russia's information policy on America, on US policy and US politicians."

Finally, Zelenskyy stressed that Trump should support Ukraine: "Trump, as a strong president of a strong country, should be on the side of Ukraine. I think it is wrong that America wants to be neutral."

As the Ukrainian News agency earlier reported, on April 13, russian terrorist forces launched two ballistic missiles at the center of the city of Sumy.

Meanwhile, Trump’s State Secretary called the missile strike on Sumy a "tragic reminder."