In an emotional interview with CBS’s 60 Minutes, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky made a personal appeal to former U.S. President Donald Trump: visit Ukraine and witness the devastation before proposing any peace deal with Russia. Speaking from his hometown of Kryvyi Rih — just a week after a missile strike killed nine children at a playground — Zelensky offered an unfiltered view of the human cost of the war.
“One Hundred Percent Hatred for Putin”
Zelensky didn’t mince words when asked about Russian President Vladimir Putin.
“Putin? One hundred percent hatred. Not even 99.9%,” he said. “But that doesn’t mean we shouldn’t seek to end the war and return to diplomacy as soon as possible.”
He described the toll of Russia’s invasion: over 600 children killed, 1,700 attacks on schools, 780 strikes on hospitals and clinics, and the deaths of 13,000 civilians and tens of thousands of soldiers. “This war is vanity. Vanity and conquest. And our people are paying the ultimate price.”
Trump’s Statements and Russian Narratives in U.S. Politics
Zelensky also addressed Donald Trump’s claim that Ukraine started the war and that Zelensky himself is a dictator.
“In the U.S., Russian narratives are winning,” he warned. “How can anyone witness what Russia is doing and still claim they’re not the aggressor?”
He called it “a distortion of reality,” fueled by misinformation and echoed by American politicians. “There is an aggressor and a victim. Russia is the aggressor. Ukraine is the victim,” Zelensky said, emphasizing that the war was unprovoked and defensive in nature.
Zelensky’s Message to Trump: “Come See for Yourself”
“Please, come to Ukraine,” Zelensky urged Trump. “Walk our streets. See the children, the hospitals, the churches. This is not theater. You’ll understand who you’re making a deal with.”
He added that no area would be off-limits during such a visit. “Go wherever you want. This is not staged. This is war.”
American Support: “We Will Fight Regardless”
Though Zelensky expressed gratitude for U.S. aid — including the $175 billion in total support, much of it for defense production — he acknowledged growing uncertainty about future backing.
Asked if Ukraine could endure without American support, Zelensky paused, then said, “We will lose more lives and territory. But it’s our land, our fate, and we will see this through.”
He underscored that most of the U.S. aid remains within the United States, funding its own defense sector. “Still, your help protects your own future,” he said.
The Price of Peace and Putin’s Real Goal
Zelensky insisted that a lasting peace requires security guarantees and a recognition of Ukraine’s full sovereignty, including all temporarily occupied territories.
“The only fair peace is returning what’s ours,” he said. “We won’t recognize illegal occupation.”
He firmly rejected any trust in Putin. “He’s not interested in peace. He wants to destroy us — our people, our statehood.”
A Warning for the World: “No One Will Be Safe”
The Ukrainian president issued a stark warning to the West: if Ukraine falls, the consequences will go far beyond Europe.
“Putin’s final goal is to rebuild the Russian Empire,” Zelensky said. “And that includes NATO territory. That includes everyone. If Ukraine fails, a global war may follow.”
When asked if that threat applies to the entire world, he replied bluntly:
“Yes. No one will be safe.”
