Citing Zelenskyy Letter, Trump Tells Congress Ukraine Willing to Negotiate

President Donald Trump also said he had ’received strong signals’ from Russia that they are ready for peace.

President Donald Trump addresses a joint session of Congress in the House Chamber on Capitol Hill on March 4, 2025. Madalina Vasiliu/The Epoch Times

President Donald Trump said on March. 4 that he received a letter from Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy in which he expressed willingness to negotiate over the ongoing Russia-Ukraine war.

Trump revealed the contents of what he described as an important letter from the Ukrainian leader during an address to Congress.

“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,” Trump said, quoting from the letter. “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.”

Trump said Zelenskyy also wrote in the letter that Ukraine is ready to sign a minerals deal with the United States.

He gave no further details on the minerals deal.

Elsewhere during his address to Congress, Trump said he had been in serious discussions with Russia and had “received strong signals that they are ready for peace.”

“Wouldn’t that be beautiful?” he said, to loud applause from lawmakers. “It’s time to stop this madness. It’s time to halt the killing. It’s time to end this senseless war. If you want to end wars you have to talk to both sides.”

Zelenskyy’s letter to Trump comes after the Ukrainian leader on March 4 said he wanted to “make things right” and was ready “any time and in any convenient format” to sign a deal on Ukrainian minerals and hold peace talks.

In a statement on the social media platform X, Zelenskyy said Ukraine was prepared to work fast to end the war, and proposed moving forward with the release of prisoners by both Russia and Ukraine as part of the “first stages” of a deal.

Zelenskyy Says White House Clash ‘Regrettable’

The Ukrainian leader also proposed a “truce in the sky” that would include an immediate ban on missiles, long-ranged drones, and strikes on energy and other civilian infrastructure. He said the initial deal could also include a “truce in the sea.”

“Then we want to move very fast through all next stages and to work with the US to agree a strong final deal,” Zelenskyy said.

Zelenskyy also said that last week’s clash with Trump and Vice President JD Vance at the White House, during which the two scolded him as insufficiently appreciative, was regrettable.

“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,” Zelenskyy wrote.

Zelenskyy’s comments came just hours after Trump directed a pause of U.S. assistance to the war-torn nation.

The pause puts more pressure on European allies who have publicly embraced Zelenskyy since the Oval Office clash.

British Prime Minister Keir Starmer (L) greets Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy in Downing Street, London on March 1, 2025. Kin Cheung/AP Photo

Britain and France, whose leaders both visited the White House last week, have offered troops to help guard a potential cease-fire, while Germany’s conservatives and Social Democrats announced plans on March 4 to establish a 500 billion-euro ($531 billion) fund to bolster defense spending.

European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen unveiled proposals to mobilize up to 800 billion euros for European Union defense spending.

The 27-nation bloc is holding an emergency summit on March 6.

Reuters contributed to this report.