Ukrainian boxer Oleksandr Usyk sends invitation to Trump over Russian war
Oleksandr Usyk has challenged Donald Trump to spend a week in Ukraine, at his home, to witness firsthand the realities of the conflict.
The invitation comes after Trump claimed he could resolve the war "in 24 hours" before became US president. With the conflict now past its third year since Vladimir Putin's full-scale invasion, Usyk believes Trump needs a deeper understanding of the situation.
Speaking to the BBC, Usyk, the current WBC, WBA, and WBO heavyweight champion, painted a stark picture of life in Ukraine. He stated, "I advise American president Donald Trump to go to Ukraine and live in my house for one week, only one week."
'Watch what is going on. Every night there are bombs, rockets flying above my house.
'People who don't live in Ukraine, who don't support Ukraine, who haven't watched what's going on, don't understand what's going on.'
Usyk, who has won all 23 of his professional contests, is currently in a training camp to prepare for a rematch with IBF champion Daniel Dubois on 19 July at Wembley Stadium.
'I worry about what happens in my country,' 38-year-old Usyk added.
'It's very bad because Ukrainian people have died. It's not just military people – children, women, grandmothers and grandfathers, too.'
Russian forces launched two devastating attacks on Kharkiv, Ukraine's second-largest city, on Saturday.
President Volodymyr Zelensky accused Vladimir Putin of "pure terrorism" following the strikes, which allegedly targeted civilians.
The initial overnight missile and drone strikes, described by Kharkiv's mayor Ihor Terekhov as the "most powerful attack" of the war so far, resulted in at least three deaths and 21 injuries, including a six-week-old baby and a 14-year-old girl.
Kharkiv was struck again later on Saturday afternoon with guided aerial bombs, killing at least one person and wounding more than 40 others.
Zelensky condemned the attacks, saying: "This is another savage killing. Aerial bombs were dropped on civilians in the city – there is even a children's railway nearby... This makes no military sense.
'This is pure terrorism. This cannot be turned a blind eye to. And this is not some kind of game. Every day, we lose our people only because Russia feels it can act with impunity. Russia must be firmly forced into peace."
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