Zelenskyy issues new demand to Trump after missile attack killed 34 people in Ukraine

President Zelenskyy has issued a new plea to Donald Trump amid the ongoing war between Russia and Ukraine.

Russia invaded Ukraine back in 2022 and the two countries have been embroiled in devastating conflict ever since.

Heads of state have failed to help Ukraine and Russia agree to a peace deal, but President Trump made it his mission to do so when he returned to office earlier this year.

Following his first presidency, Trump built up a rapport with Vladimir Putin and is hoping to use this to end the ongoing war that's thought to have killed over 12,600 people as of February 2025, United Nations said at the time.

Palm Sunday attacks on Sumy has killed over 30 people (Ukrainian State Emergency Service / Handout/Anadolu via Getty Images)

But this death toll has since increased following a Russian missile strike on the city of Sumy yesterday (April 13). At the time of writing, 34 people are reported to have died in the strike.

Local officials said two ballistic missiles struck the heart of the city at around 10.30am local time as people gathered to celebrate Palm Sunday.

Images from the scene showed lines of black body bags lying on the side of the road, while more bodies wrapped in foil blankets lay among the debris. A further 117 people were wounded, including 15 children.

Trump has since addressed the matter and suggested that the strike was a 'mistake'.

“I think it was terrible and I was told they made a mistake, but I think it’s a horrible thing. I think the whole war is a horrible thing,” he told reporters on Air Force One as he returned to Washington yesterday evening.

He did not clarify whether he was saying the attack was unintentional.

Yesterday's attack came on the same day a new CBS 60 Minutes interview with Zelenskyy aired.

In it, the Ukrainian president urged Trump to come visit Ukraine to see the devastation caused by the ongoing war before any big decisions are made between the US, Ukraine, and Russia.

Zelenskyy wants Trump to see the devastation for himself (OLEG VORONENKO/AFP via Getty Images)

He said to a message to the POTUS: "Please, before any kind of decisions, any kind of forms of negotiations, come to see people, civilians, warriors, hospitals, churches, children destroyed or dead."

Zelenskyy also spoke of how he feels '100 percent hatred' towards Putin.

"Though this doesn't mean we shouldn't work to end the war as soon as possible and transition to diplomacy," he went on to say of reaching a peace deal with Russia.