Kyiv, Ukraine – Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has stated that his meeting with US President Donald Trump in the Oval Office last week “did not go the way it was supposed to,” describing the heated exchange as “regrettable” and noting that Ukraine is willing to negotiate an end to the conflict.
“I would like to reiterate Ukraine’s commitment to peace,” Zelensky said on X, addressing his historic meeting with Trump directly. During the meeting, Trump and Vice President JD Vance berated Zelensky, accusing him of “gambling with World War Three” and telling him that “your country is in big trouble.”
“Our meeting in Washington, at the White House on Friday, did not go as expected,” Zelensky wrote in Tuesday’s X post. “It is unfortunate that it happened this way. It is time to make things right. We want future cooperation and communication to be constructive.”
“None of us want an endless war,” he said. “Ukraine is ready to return to the negotiating table as soon as possible to bring long-term peace closer. Nobody wants peace more than the Ukrainians. My team and I are ready to work under President Trump’s strong leadership to achieve long-term peace.
Western leaders will hope the statement helps to smooth Kyiv’s relations with the White House, but the disastrous Oval Office meeting highlighted how strained those relations have become.
In his Tuesday statement, Zelensky also stated that Ukraine is ready to sign a minerals deal, which was supposed to be signed on Friday before Zelensky was asked to leave the White House due to an argument.
“Ukraine is ready to sign the mineral and security agreement at any time and in any format that is convenient for them. We see this agreement as a step toward increased security and solid security guarantees, and I sincerely hope it will be effective,” he said.
He also made a rare direct intervention on how a potential ceasefire could work. “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 told Reuters. “Then we want to move very fast through all next stages and to work with the US to agree a strong final deal.”
That framework is similar to the plan proposed by French President Emmanuel Macron following Sunday’s Western leaders’ summit in London, which took place amid concerns across the continent about Ukraine’s future.
“We greatly appreciate how much America has done to help Ukraine maintain its sovereignty and independence. And we remember how things changed when President Trump gave Ukraine Javelins. We are grateful for this,” Zelensky said.
It remains to be seen how Trump will react to the Ukrainian president’s proposals or his thoughts on the White House visit. However, the lengthy statement suggests an attempt by Kyiv to force its voice into discussions about the future of the conflict, following the Trump administration’s decision to open talks with Russia last month but refuse to invite Ukraine.
Trump halted shipments of US military aid to Ukraine on Monday, potentially jeopardizing the country’s warfighting capabilities.
The aid halt, which came after Trump met with top national security officials, will remain in place until Trump determines Zelensky has made a commitment to seeking peace talks, according to one official. This effectively forces Ukraine to the negotiating table by threatening further battlefield losses.