Zelenskyy calls his Oval Office spat with Trump 'regrettable' and says he's ready to work for peace

KYIV, Ukraine (AP) — Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said Tuesday the Oval Office blowup with US President Donald Trump last week was "regrettable," adding that he stands ready to work under Trump's "strong leadership" to get a lasting peace.

Zelenskyy's remarks — an apparent attempt to placate Trump — came in a social media post on X, hours after the White House announced a pause military aid to Ukraine that is critical to fighting Russia's invasion.

He also said Ukraine is ready to sign a lucrative deal on rare-earth minerals and security with Washington.

In an apparent reference to Trump's criticism following the contentious White House meeting on Friday that Zelenskyy does not want a peace deal, the Ukrainian leader said: "None of us want 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 the Ukrainians. My team and I stand ready to work under President Trump's strong leadership to get a peace that lasts," he said.

The meeting "did not go the way it was supposed to be," Zelenskyy said. "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."

The US decision to pause military aid catapulted his country into alarm and apprehension. Zelenskyy's statement came before Trump was expected to address the US Congress later Tuesday.

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

British Prime Minister Keir Starmer spoke to the Ukrainian leader Tuesday and "welcomed President Zelenskyy's steadfast commitment to securing peace."

Zelenskyy's post came as officials in Kyiv said they were grateful for vital US help in the war and want to keep working with Washington. Ukraine's prime minister, though, said the country still wants security guarantees to be part of any peace deal and won't recognize Russian occupation of any Ukrainian land. Those are potential stumbling blocks for Washington and Moscow, respectively.

Ukraine and its allies are concerned Trump is pushing for a quick ceasefire that will favour Russia, which Kyiv says cannot be trusted to honour truces.

A White House official said the US was "pausing and reviewing" its aid to "ensure that it is contributing to a solution." The order will remain in effect until Trump determines that Ukraine has demonstrated a commitment to peace negotiations, said the official, who spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss the assistance.

The pause in US aid isn't expected to have an immediate impact on the battlefield. Ukrainian forces have slowed Russian advances along the roughly 1,000-kilometre (600-mile) front line, especially in the fiercely contested Donetsk region some 700 kilometres (400 miles) east of Kyiv. The Russian onslaught has been costly in troops and armour but hasn't brought a strategically significant breakthrough for the Kremlin.

Ukraine needs help to fight Russia

Ukraine, which depends heavily on foreign help to hold back Russia's full-scale invasion that began on February 24, 2022, has feared that aid could be stopped since Trump took office.

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