Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky says he is “ready to come to the negotiation table” with Donald Trump, and that it is “time to make things right” in order to “get a peace that lasts”.
After Washington halted military aid for Ukraine, Mr Zelensky said it was “regrettable” that the meeting in in the Oval Office meeting did not go as planned.
“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,” he said.
“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,” he wrote. “We remember the moment when things changed when President Trump provided Ukraine with Javelins. We are grateful for this.”
“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.”
“None of us wants an endless war. Ukraine is ready to come to the negotiating table as soon as possible to bring lasting peace closer. Nobody wants peace more than Ukrainians,” the Ukrainian leader said.
Zelensky’s statement comes after days of scrambling by European leaders to both demonstrate broad support for Ukraine, and fix the fall-out of the disastrous White House meeting, with the public spat viewed worldwide.
An emergency EU defence summit sought to dramatically increase spending in response to Trump’s freeze on military aid.
“From my discussions over recent days, we’ve agreed that the UK, France and others will work with Ukraine on a plan to stop the fighting,” British Prime Minister Starmer told reporters after the summit. “Then, we’ll discuss that plan with the United States..
The European Commission on Tuesday unveiled plans for an €800 billion boost to EU defence spending to win over the US with its rearmament.