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”.
