Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has said that last week’s clash with President Donald Trump and Vice President JD Vance at the White House was “regrettable” and pledged to sign a minerals deal and hold peace talks.
“We do really value how much America has done to help Ukraine maintain its sovereignty and independence,” the Ukrainian leader wrote in a statement, released on social media platform X. “And we remember the moment when things changed when President Trump provided Ukraine with Javelins. We are grateful for this.”
During the meeting with Trump and Vance, both the president and vice president admonished Zelenskyy over comments that he made, as well as his attitude toward their efforts to end the war. Trump later said he would continue to deal with Zelenskyy once the Ukrainian leader expresses a desire to end the war with Russia.
“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, noting that he wants to sign a rare earth minerals deal with the United States and be part of peace talks with Russia.
Zelenskyy’s comments were made just hours after Trump directed a pause of U.S. assistance to Ukraine.
Ukraine has relied on U.S. and European military aid to hold off its bigger and better-armed foe throughout three years of warfare that has killed and injured hundreds of thousands of soldiers on both sides and flattened Ukrainian cities.
Trump has said that he wants to end the war in Ukraine and that he believes that the death toll on both sides is far higher than what has been officially confirmed. Before the election, Trump said he would end the war in 24 hours, but his administration has since signaled that it could take months.
After the pause in U.S. military aid, Europeans indicated that they are racing to boost their own military spending, and European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen on March 4 unveiled proposals to boost spending on defense in the European Union. She said the move could mobilize up to 800 billion euros ($840 billion). The EU is holding an emergency summit on March 6.
Since Russia’s invasion three years ago, Congress has approved $175 billion in total assistance for Ukraine, according to the Committee for a Responsible Federal Budget.
Trump suggested on March 3 that a deal to open up Ukraine’s minerals to U.S. investment could still be agreed upon. The deal was meant to be signed in Washington on Feb. 28 before Zelenskyy departed the Oval Office early following the breakdown in talks.
“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.”
In an interview on Fox News, Vance called on Zelenskyy to accept the deal.
“If you want real security guarantees, if you want to actually ensure that Vladimir Putin does not invade Ukraine again, the very best security guarantee is to give Americans economic upside in the future of Ukraine,” Vance said.
