Western leaders will hope the statement goes some way towards smoothing Kyiv’s relations with the White House, but the disastrous Oval Office meeting underlined how strained that relationship has become. Zelensky also said in his Tuesday statement that Ukraine is ready to sign a minerals deal, which was meant to be signed on Friday until the argument led to Zelensky being told to leave the White House. “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,” he said.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky on Tuesday issued a public statement expressing gratitude for the American contribution to their defense and expressing a desire to mend fences with President Donald Trump after a dustup at a Friday meeting derailed a planned mineral deal. "We do really value how much America has done to help Ukraine maintain its sovereignty and independence. And we remember the moment when things changed when President Trump provided Ukraine with Javelins. We are grateful for this," he said. "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." He further expressed Ukraine's willingness to sign the mineral agreement "any time and in any convenient format."
The Ukrainian president said in the bombshell X post that "none of us wants an endless war" and that "Ukraine is ready to come to the negotiating table as soon as possible to bring lasting peace closer.
