President Volodymyr Zelensky said on Tuesday that he wanted to “make things right” with Donald Trump and work under the US president’s “strong leadership” to secure lasting peace in Ukraine.
In his first public comments since Trump halted US military aid to Ukraine, Zelensky described his public dispute with Trump last week as “regrettable” and pledged to sign a key minerals deal with Washington.
He also called for a “truce” in the sea and sky as a first step towards ending the three-year war with Russia.
A dramatic collapse in the Kyiv-Washington wartime alliance has played out in public since a televised dispute between Zelensky and Trump in the Oval Office last week, escalating as Ukraine’s top ally suspended crucial military aid.
“My team and I stand ready to work under President Trump’s strong leadership to secure lasting peace,” Zelensky wrote on X.
“Our meeting in Washington, at the White House on Friday, did not go as it was supposed to,” the Ukrainian leader added. “It is time to make things right.”
In his regular evening address, he told Ukrainians that he had instructed his defence and intelligence chiefs to contact their US counterparts to “obtain official information” on the aid freeze.
Trump’s decision on Monday to halt assistance to Ukraine has deepened fears in Kyiv and across European capitals that America is shifting away from its allies – and towards Russia.
Moscow welcomed Trump’s decision, with Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov calling it “a solution that could truly push the Kyiv regime towards a peace process.”
The European Union, which – along with Ukraine – has been excluded from US-Russian negotiations over a potential truce, is scrambling to bolster support for Kyiv.
French President Emmanuel Macron praised Zelensky for his willingness to “re-engage in dialogue” with Trump, his office said.
Still, Europe fears for the future of US-European defence cooperation.
European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen has presented an EU plan to mobilise approximately 800 billion euros (£680 billion) for European defence.
Germany’s likely next chancellor, Friedrich Merz, meanwhile, said he would support the immediate approval of a three-billion-euro Ukraine aid package currently stalled in parliament, calling it “urgent”.
The EU is set to hold an emergency summit on Thursday to cement joint European support for Ukraine.
‘Stab in the back’
Ordinary Ukrainians speaking to AFP expressed shock at what they saw as a betrayal by Trump.
“It’s like a stab in the back,” said Sofia, a 33-year-old financial assistant in Kyiv.
“Trump wants Ukraine’s surrender, the deaths of our people, the surrender of our territories,” said army volunteer Sergiy Sternenko on Telegram.
Poland’s government noted that America’s decision was made without consulting NATO allies, and the impact was already visible at a weapons and aid logistics hub it hosts for Ukraine.
“Reports coming in from the border, as well as from our hub, confirm the announcements made by the American side,” Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk said.
French Prime Minister François Bayrou told lawmakers in Paris that “entire trains” carrying US supplies for Ukraine “are being stopped and prevented from reaching their destination.”
The New York Times reported that the US pause affects hundreds of millions of dollars’ worth of weaponry being sent to Ukraine.
Troops on the ground?
Last week, Zelensky visited Washington to sign a multi-billion-dollar minerals deal – but that fell through after his confrontation with Trump and Vice President JD Vance.
On Tuesday, Zelensky said Kyiv was ready to sign a deal granting the United States preferential access to Ukraine’s natural resources and minerals “at any time and in any convenient format.”
Ukraine is also seeking strong security guarantees for ending the war.
With the United States opposing its bid to join NATO, Kyiv is turning to other Western-backed measures.
Following crisis talks in London over the weekend, Britain and France are exploring the possibility of proposing a one-month Ukraine-Russia truce – potentially backed by troops on the ground.
Vance, in an interview with Fox News on Monday, mocked the idea of “some random country that has not fought a war in 30 or 40 years” sending soldiers to Ukraine. His comments prompted angry reactions from French and British politicians.
On Tuesday, Vance insisted he had not mentioned France or Britain and acknowledged that both countries had “fought bravely” alongside the United States over the past two decades.
(AFP)
