Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky reached out to President Donald Trump on Tuesday, seeking to repair diplomatic damage after their contentious White House meeting led to a total suspension of U.S. military aid to Ukraine.
“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,” Zelensky wrote on X.
The public olive branch came one day after a senior Trump administration official confirmed the temporary suspension of all U.S. military assistance to Ukraine “until the president determines the Ukrainians show a commitment to good-faith peace negotiations.”
The confrontation that derailed U.S.-Ukrainian relations occurred during an Oval Office meeting last Friday when Trump, Vice President JD Vance, and Zelensky engaged in a heated exchange about peace negotiations with Russia.
In his first interview since the incident, Vance told Fox News host Sean Hannity on Monday that Zelensky displayed “a lack of respect” and “a certain sense of entitlement” during the meeting.
The vice president recounted that tensions escalated after Zelensky questioned his comments about diplomacy.
“What kind of diplomacy, JD, you are speaking about? What do you mean?” Zelensky had asked incredulously during the Oval Office meeting.
“I’m talking about the kind of diplomacy that’s going to end the destruction of your country. I think it’s disrespectful for you to come into the Oval Office to try to litigate this in front of the American media…You should be thanking the president for trying to bring an end to this conflict,” Vance shot back.
Vance told Hannity he initially attempted to defuse the situation.
“I tried to have the conversation in private,” Vance said. “The president was like, nope, actually, I don’t want to have it in private anymore. I want to have this actual conversation in public for the American people to see.”
The planned rare earth minerals deal between the two countries collapsed after Zelensky was asked to leave the White House. Trump later wrote on his Truth Social platform that his Ukrainian counterpart could return “when he is ready for Peace.”
In his Tuesday statement, Zelensky avoided a direct apology but emphasized Ukraine’s desire for peace.
“I would like to reiterate Ukraine’s commitment to peace. 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. Nobody wants peace more than Ukrainians,” he wrote.
The Ukrainian president also proposed a ceasefire with Russia “in the sea and the sky — if Russia will do the same” and expressed willingness to sign the minerals deal “at any time and in any convenient format.”
Vance made clear the Trump administration’s position that the war cannot continue indefinitely.
“There aren’t enough Ukrainian lives, there isn’t enough American money, and there isn’t enough ammunition to fund this thing indefinitely,” Vance told Hannity. “The only realistic pathway to bring this thing to a settlement is President Trump’s pathway. We encourage both President Zelensky and President Putin to follow that path.”
Trump has reportedly said he would speak with Zelensky only if the Ukrainian leader apologizes and expresses a desire for peace.
“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,” Zelensky wrote, referencing anti-armor missiles provided during Trump’s first term.