Zelenskyy urges Trump to visit Ukraine and witness the devastation caused by Russia’s missile attack on Sumy.
Two Russian ballistic missiles bombarded Sumy on Sunday, killing 34 people and injuring more than 100 others in one of the worst attacks in Ukraine this year. Many victims were at church on Palm Sunday when the missiles hit. Zelenskyy called on Trump to visit Ukraine to “understand what Putin did” and see the devastation firsthand.
Zelenskyy’s Plea to Trump
In an interview with CBS News, Zelenskyy said, “Please, before any kind of decisions, come to see people, civilians, warriors, hospitals, churches, children destroyed or dead.”The Ukrainian president thought back to his last encounter with Trump at the White House, which descended into hostility after Vice President JD Vance vehemently denounced Zelenskyy’s behavior. Zelenskyy underlined that Russia was the war’s aggressor and Ukraine its victim, underscoring the difference between an aggressor and a victim.
The Sumy Attack
The Russian missile attack on Sumy occurred as civilians were gathered in church. The missiles reportedly contained cluster munitions, making them even more lethal. Russian military spokesperson Dmitry Peskov claimed that the attacks targeted military and near-military sites, but Zelenskyy and his officials refuted these claims, asserting that civilians were the main victims.
The attack has sparked widespread condemnation from international leaders, including U.S. officials, German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, and British Prime Minister Keir Starmer. Former Trump officials, like Keith Kellogg, condemned the attack as crossing “any line of decency.”
Attempts at Diplomacy in the Face of Violence
The Russian missile assault on Sumy brought the violence of the conflict to light as the United States continues to use diplomacy to arrange a truce. It’s still unclear how Friday’s meeting between U.S. special envoy Steve Witkoff and Putin turned out. In his appeal, Zelenskyy underlined how crucial direct interaction is to comprehending the crisis’s entire breadth.
Source: NBC News