Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has implored U.S. President Donald Trump to visit his country and see the tragedy of the current war before committing to any peace solutions with Russia.

Mindful of his abrasive meeting with Mr Trump in Washington in February, Mr Zelensky reiterated his respect for the U.S. position.

He stressed the need for Mr Trump to visit Ukraine before any kind of decisions or negotiations.

Mr Zelensky urged the U.S. president to come see the people, civilians, warriors, hospitals, churches, and children destroyed or dead before making any peace deal.

He said he was optimistic that Mr Trump would better understand what he was dealing with.

”You will understand what (Russian President Vladimir) Putin did,” he said.

A Russian missile attack on Ukraine on April 4 killed 19 people, including nine children and teenagers.

On Sunday, a rocket attack on the Ukrainian town of Sumy killed at least 34 people.

Mr Zelensky said that, in his opinion, the Russian view of the war, which had been ongoing for more than three years, had prevailed in the new U.S. administration.

He was particularly critical of Vice President JD Vance, who led the attack on him during the White House visit at the end of February.

”I tried to explain that you can’t look for something in the middle. There is an aggressor, and there is a victim,” said the Ukrainian president.

(dpa/NAN)