Zelenskyy Ready To Work For Ukraine Peace, Regrets Spat With Trump

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said Tuesday that the blow-up with U.S. counterpart Donald Trump last week was “regrettable,” adding that he stands ready to work under Trump’s “strong leadership” to get lasting peace.

Zelenskyy’s remarks came in a social media post on X, hours after the White House announced a pause in military aid to Ukraine that is critical to fighting Russia’s invasion.

However, later in his nightly address, Zelenskyy indicated that Ukraine didn’t receive direct notification from the U.S. that aid had been cut and was seeking confirmation.

“I have instructed Ukraine’s Minister of Defense, the heads of our intelligence agencies, and our diplomats to contact their counterparts in the United States and obtain official information. People should not have to guess,” he said.

“Ukraine and America deserve a respectful dialogue and a clear position from one another. Especially when it comes to protecting lives during a full-scale war,” he added, saying that military aid had been cut once before in January for a brief period.

Zelenskyy also said Ukraine is ready to sign a lucrative deal on rare-earth minerals and security with Washington. Trump was weighing whether to agree to the signing Tuesday, when he is scheduled to address a joint session of Congress, after Zelenskyy’s sign of contrition, according to a U.S. official familiar with the matter who was not authorized to speak publicly about it.

In an apparent reference to Trump’s criticism following the contentious White House meeting on Friday that Zelenskyy does not want a peace deal, the Ukrainian leader said, “None of us want 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 the Ukrainians. My team and I stand ready to work under President Trump’s strong leadership to get a peace that lasts,” he said.

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