Unified heavyweight champion Oleksandr Usyk invited U.S. President Donald Trump to live for a week in his house in Ukraine during a June 8 interview with BBC Sport.
Trump has pledged to negotiate an end to Russia's war against Ukraine, but after six months in office a ceasefire remains nowhere in sight. Trump has threatened to abandon the peace process altogether and even suggested Ukraine is to blame for Russia's intensifying aerial attacks.
Usyk said he would welcome Trump to visit his home in Ukraine to experience the realities of the war firsthand.
"I advise American President Donald Trump, go to Ukraine and live in my house one week. Only one week ... Watch what's going on every night," he told BBC Sport.
"Every night, bombs fly above my house. Bomb, rocket, Shahed. Every night."
Usyk's appeal to Trump comes after multiple large-scale Russian attacks against Ukrainian cities.
Originally from Crimea, Usyk now resides in Kyiv, the target of several drone and missile strikes in late May and early June. Russia has broken its nightly drone record repeatedly in the last two weeks and U.S. officials have warned Ukraine to expect more mass strikes in the coming days.
While Trump initially criticized Russian President Vladimir Putin after a series of consecutive attacks against Ukrainian cities in late May, he did not follow through on threats to sanction Moscow.
Trump has since attempted to delay and soften a U.S. Senate bill imposing harsher sanctions against Russia and has even threatened to possibly sanction Ukraine.
Usyk has previously directed public comments to Trump while advocating for Ukraine. During the 2024 U.S. presidential election, Usyk took to social media to urge Trump to use his purported influence over Putin to help free Ukrainian prisoners of war (POWs).
Usyk has held the title of unified heavyweight champion since 2021. Before his professional boxing career, he was a gold medalist at the 2012 Olympic Games in London.
Tim Zadorozhnyy
(Updated: )
