President Volodymyr Zelensky issued a statement on Tuesday to outline Ukraine’s proposal to work towards a ceasefire with Russia and signaled Kyiv’s openness to sign a resources deal offered by US President Donald Trump.
Zelensky’s statement followed a disastrous meeting with Trump in the White House on Friday and Trump’s subsequent purported decision to suspend all military aid to Ukraine.
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In his statement, Zelensky described the meeting with Trump as “regrettable” but did not apologize as senior US officials, including Secretary of State Marco Rubio, demanded.
“Our meeting in Washington, at the White House on Friday, did not go the way it was supposed to be. It is regrettable that it happened this way. It is time to make things right. We would like future cooperation and communication to be constructive,” Zelensky said in his X update.
Zelensky also said he is grateful when referring to “the moment when things changed when President Trump provided Ukraine with Javelins” as a response to Trump and Vice President JD Vance, when they accused him of being ungrateful for US support at Friday’s White House meeting, apparently ignoring numerous occasions when Zelensky publicly thanked the US for its aid.
Steps towards peace
Zelensky reiterated his desire for peace and outlined how it could be achieved – namely to cease aerial attacks from both sides as a starter.
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“We are ready to work fast to end the war, and the first stages could be the release of prisoners and truce in the sky – ban on missiles, long-ranged drones, bombs on energy and other civilian infrastructure – and truce in the sea immediately, if Russia will do the same,” Zelensky said.
“Then we want to move very fast through all next stages and to work with the US to agree a strong final deal,” he added.
Russia has been launching drones and missiles against Ukraine’s energy infrastructure, while Ukraine has been targeting Russia’s oil refineries in an attempt to curb Moscow’s oil revenue funding its war machine.
After Zelensky met British Prime Minister Keir Starmer on Sunday in London after the Trump debacle, Starmer said the UK would work with France and Ukraine to develop a ceasefire plan to be presented to Trump.
Resources deal
On Friday, Zelensky had planned to sign a resource deal proposed by Trump, which never happened after the Ukrainian delegation was ordered out of the White House.
Zelensky on Tuesday reiterated his desire to move forward with the resources deal after a similar statement on Sunday.
“Regarding the agreement on minerals and security, Ukraine is ready to sign it in any time and in any convenient format. We see this agreement as a step toward greater security and solid security guarantees, and I truly hope it will work effectively,” Zelensky said in Tuesday’s X update.
Trump said on Monday that the deal is still on the table, but he said Zelensky “needs to be more appreciative.”
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