"Come see the people, the civilians, the soldiers, the hospitals, the churches, the children who are destroyed or dead," Zelensky said.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has urged his US counterpart Donald Trump to visit his country to better understand the destruction caused by the Russian invasion.
"Please, before you make any decisions, any forms of negotiations, come and see the people, the civilians, the soldiers, the hospitals, the churches, the children who are destroyed or dead," he said, according to the transcript of the interview with CBS.
He said the U.S. head of state would "find out what (Russian leader Vladimir) Putin did."
The call comes at a time when Trump is pushing for a quick end to the more than three-year-old war. The United States is in direct talks with Russia despite its continued attacks on Ukraine, AFP reports.
Washington has also held talks with Ukrainian officials about a potential ceasefire.
Zelensky's invitation follows a heated argument at the White House in late February between the Ukrainian president, Trump and US Vice President J.D. Vance that played out in full view of the press.
Vance then accused Ukraine of taking foreign leaders on "propaganda tours" to win support.
Zelensky again denied the allegation and said that if the US president decides to visit Ukraine, "we will prepare nothing. It won't be theater." | BGNES