Volodymyr Zelenskyy has broken his silence following Donald Trump's decision to stop military aid to Ukraine after their explosive White House argument on Friday (28 February).
The US Government announced the order following a meeting between the President and senior advisors yesterday to discuss the aid and its future.
This followed Trump accusing Zelenskyy of 'gambling with World War III' during their heated exchange at the Oval Office, a meeting which the Ukrainian President has now described as 'regrettable'.
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Friday's meeting took place in front of the media, with the world watching on as the two leaders argued. Keir Starmer then invited the Ukrainian to Downing Street as he said the clash had made him feel 'uncomfortable'.
And Zelenskyy has now spoken out as he said he would like future 'cooperation and communication' with Trump to be 'constructive'.
Writing on X this afternoon, he said: "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.
“My team and I stand ready to work under President Trump’s strong leadership to get a peace that lasts.
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“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.
“Then we want to move very fast through all next stages and to work with the US to agree a strong final 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 continued: “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.
“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.”
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Stopping military aid to Ukraine, A White House official anonymously revealed to Sky News: "President [Trump] has been clear that he is focused on peace.
"We need our partners to be committed to that goal as well. We are pausing and reviewing our aid to ensure that is contributing to a solution."
Topics: Ukraine, Donald Trump, Volodymyr Zelenskyy, Politics, World News
Jess Battison