Zelenskyy says heated meeting with Trump was 'regrettable' and wants a lasting peace deal
US President Donald Trump and Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelensky meet in the Oval Office of the White House in Washington, DC, February 28, 2025. Zelensky and Trump openly clashed in the White House on February 28 at a meeting where they were due
FOX 2 - Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy is calling his contentious meeting with President Donald Trump at the White House last week "regrettable" and claims he wants to work for lasting peace.
What they're saying:
In a statement posted to X, formerly Twitter, Zelenskyy said he and his team stands ready to work under Trump's "strong leadership" to get a lasting peace.
His statement came shortly after the White House announced it was pausing military aid to Ukraine in its war against Russia.
Zelenskyy said Ukraine is ready to sign and agree to a rare-earth mineral deal with the Trump Administration.
"Regarding the agreement on minerals and security, Ukraine is ready to sign it in any time and in any convenient format," Zelenskyy said. "We see this agreement as a step toward greater security and solid security guarantees, and I truly hope it will work effectively."
The Ukrainian leader said: "None of us want an endless war," in an apparent rebuttal to criticisms from Trump.
"I have determined that President Zelenskyy is not ready for Peace if America is involved, because he feels our involvement gives him a big advantage in negotiations," Trump said in a statement last week. "I don’t want advantage, I want peace."
Zelenskyy said initial stages of a peace deal could involve releasing prisoners of war and a truce in the sky and sea involving a ban on missiles, long-range drones and attacks on energy and civilian infrastructure - which emerged through talking with European leaders Monday.
"If Russia will do the same ... then we want to move very fast through all next stages and to work with the US to agree a strong final deal," Zelenskyy posted online.
"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. My team and I stand ready to work under President Trump's strong leadership to get a peace that lasts," he said.
The meeting "did not go the way it was supposed to be," Zelenskyy said. "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."
The decision to pause military aid by the US, sparked concern and anxiety in the Ukraine, with the statement by Zelenskyy coming before Tuesday night's Trump address to Congress.
Trump is pushing for a quick ceasefire that will favor Russia, while Zelenskyy has said previous truces were broken. Even in the Oval Office meeting, Trump told the Ukrainian leader that all of those instances occurred during former President Joe Biden's leadership.
The Source: Information for this story came from published reports and a statement by the Ukrainian president posted Tuesday on X.