Zelenskyy calls Oval Office blow-up 'regrettable,' says he's ready for peace talks, mineral deal

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy expressed regret over the heated Oval Office meeting with President Trump last week and said he’s ready to strike a peace deal with Russia and a mineral deal with the U.S.

The contentious meeting on Friday erupted over U.S. wartime support for Ukraine. Mr. Trump and Vice President J.D. Vance accused Mr. Zelenskyy of not showing enough gratitude for the billions of dollars in U.S. aid, while the Ukrainian leader argued that Russian President Vladimir Putin cannot be trusted to honor a negotiated deal to end the fighting.

Mr. Trump rattled both Kyiv and Ukraine’s European allies when he announced Monday evening a “pause” in American military and financial aid to Kyiv, accusing Mr. Zelenskyy of not supporting his push for a peace deal with the Kremlin.

“None of us wants an endless war. Ukraine is ready to come to the negotiating table as soon as possible to bring lasting peace closer,” Mr. Zelenskyy wrote in a lengthy X post Tuesday. “My team and I stand ready to work under President Trump’s strong leadership to get a peace that lasts.”

“Our meeting in Washington, at the White House on Friday, did not go the way it was supposed to be,” he wrote. “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.”

Friday’s diplomatic blow-up ended with the scheduled lunch and joint press conference canceled, and Mr. Zelenskyy leaving the White House without signing the economic cooperation agreement that was supposed to be the centerpiece of his trip.

Combative at times in the Oval Office, Mr. Zelenskyy struck a markedly different tone in his Tuesday post.

“We are ready to work fast to end the war, and the first stages could be the release of prisoners and truce in the sky — ban on missiles, long-ranged drones, bombs on energy and other civilian infrastructure — and truce in the sea immediately, if Russia will do the same,” the Ukrainian leader wrote. “Then we want to move very fast through all next stages and to work with the U.S. to agree to a strong final deal.”

“We do really value how much America has done to help Ukraine maintain its sovereignty and independence,” he said. “And we remember the moment when things changed when President Trump provided Ukraine with Javelins. We are grateful for this.”

Following the Oval Office ordeal, Mr. Trump said it was obvious to him that Mr. Zelenskyy wasn’t ready to make peace. Russian forces currently occupy about 20% of Ukraine’s territory in the south and east and the Kremlin has said it will not give the land back in any peace deal.

Mr. Zelenskyy, in a Fox News interview later Friday evening, said he wouldn’t apologize over the spat and that he didn’t think he had done anything wrong.

Mr. Trump, who said repeatedly on the campaign trail that he could bring the three-year conflict to a quick close, has repeatedly said his motivation behind his diplomacy is to put an end to the deaths of young Russian and Ukraine soldiers. He wants to strike a deal with Ukraine for American access to the country’s strategic mineral deposits as “payback” for the billions of dollars of aid it has sent to support Ukraine since 2022.

The White House also argues the economic deal is a way to get the security guarantees Kyiv seeks, as Russia would be unlikely to invade again given a major U.S. economic presence in the country.

“Regarding the agreement on minerals and security, Ukraine is ready to sign it at any time and in any convenient format,” Mr. Zelenskyy wrote in the X post. “We see this agreement as a step toward greater security and solid security guarantees, and I truly hope it will work effectively.”

Democrats and a few Republicans have been critical of Mr. Trump’s handling of Friday’s meeting, saying the new administration has ramped up the pressure on Ukraine while offering concessions and diplomatic outreach to Moscow.

Mr. Trump is expected to address a joint session of Congress Tuesday evening, where he will discuss the Ukraine-Russia war, among other topics.