US President Donald Trump said on Tuesday that Volodymyr Zelensky informed him Kyiv is ready for talks with Russia and to finalize a US minerals deal, just days after their tense White House meeting.
These statements come days after a tense and public confrontation between Zelensky and Trump in the Oval Office on Friday, after which the US President cut the meeting short, claiming that the Ukrainian leader is “not ready” for peace with Russia.
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Zelensky has since sought to bring Trump back onside, posting on social media that their clash was “regrettable” and he wanted “to make things right.”
In his address to US Congress later on Tuesday, Trump read aloud from a letter he said he recently received from Zelensky, which matched the social media statement.
“The letter reads, ‘Ukraine is ready to come to the negotiating table as soon as possible to bring lasting peace closer. Nobody wants peace more than the Ukrainians,’” Trump told US lawmakers in his first address since returning to office.
He added that Zelensky wrote: “My team and I stand ready to work under President Trump’s strong leadership to get a peace that lasts. We do really value how much America has done to help Ukraine maintain its sovereignty and independence. Regarding the agreement on minerals, Ukraine is ready to sign it at any time that is convenient for you.”
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Trump continued: “I appreciate that he sent this letter a little while ago. Simultaneously, we have received strong signals from Russia that they are ready for peace. Wouldn’t that be beautiful?”
Speaking to Ukrainians on the streets of Kyiv late Tuesday night, March 4, Zelensky said that Ukraine and America “deserve a respectful dialogue.”
“Today, many people have one question: What will happen next with American help? I have instructed the Minister of Defense of Ukraine, the heads of our intelligence services, and diplomats to contact their [counterparts] in the United States and receive official information,” Zelensky said.
Zelensky arrived in Washington DC for a formal White House visit on Feb. 28 to finalize a US-Ukrainian agreement on jointly utilizing Ukraine’s mineral resources, a key component of a Trump-mediated post-war recovery plan.
However, the visit quickly turned confrontational in the Oval Office, when Trump and Vice President JD Vance angrily confronted Zelensky, accusing him of lacking gratitude for US support since the beginning of Russia’s full-scale invasion three years ago.
During a tense Oval Office meeting on Friday, Vice President JD Vance accused Zelensky of lacking gratitude for US support, while Trump warned the Ukrainian leader that he had “no cards” to play.
Zelensky left the meeting without signing the agreement Trump had pushed for, which would have given the United States joint control over Ukrainian mineral resources.
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