VOLODYMYR Zelenskyy has said he is willing to “work under” Donald Trump’s leadership to achieve peace after America halted military aid.
Addressing his verbal dressing down by Trump in the White House, the Ukrainian president said the meeting “did not go the way it was supposed to”.
He said that Ukraine was “ready” to sign a deal with America handing over a share of its natural resources “any time and in any convenient format”.
It comes after America paused military aid to the country to "ensure that it is contributing to a solution".
In a statement posted to Twitter/X, Zelenskyy (above) said: “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. My team and I stand ready to work under President Trump’s strong leadership to get a peace that lasts.”
He said the initial stages of a ceasefire could be achieve quickly, if they are mirrored by Russia.
The Ukrainian president said: “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.”
The “next stages” would then be worked through with America to agree a “strong final deal”, he added.
Zelenskyy, who was berated by Trump and vice president JD Vance for what they said was failing to show adequate gratitude for American help, stressed his thanks to the US.
He said: “We do really value how much America has done to help Ukraine maintain its sovereignty and independence.”
Zelenskyy added: “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. We would like future cooperation and communication to be constructive.
“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.”
