Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has taken a huge step towards a peace deal only days after his White House meeting with US President Donald Trump turned sour.
In a major update on Tuesday afternoon, Zelensky said: "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. My team and I stand ready to work under President Trump’s strong leadership to get a peace that lasts."
"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."
Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky has taken a huge step towards a peace deal
REUTERSHe added: "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."
"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."
The update came just days after chaos broke out in the Oval Office when the US President accused his Ukrainian counterpart of not showing enough gratitude to America for its years of support - a claim vehemently denied by Zelensky.
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US Vice President JD Vance echoed the claims while accusing Zelensky of disrespecting the Oval Office.
A scheduled press conference was called off shortly after the clash with Zelensky being whisked away in his car.
European leaders came out in support of the Ukrainian leader, including Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer, who met with Zelensky at Downing Street after the tense White House meeting.
No10 signalled that Starmer had sought to smooth tensions by calling both leaders after their clash.
Sir Keir Starmer met with Zelensky at Downing Street after the tense White House meeting
PAIt was revealed today that Trump has paused military aid to Ukraine following the dispute.
An official said: "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 it is contributing to a solution."
The Ukrainian parliamentary foreign affairs committee chair told reporters this morning the Trump military aid pause "looks really bad, it looks like he is pushing Kyiv towards capitulation".
Meanwhile, France, Britain and potentially other European countries have offered to send troops to Ukraine in the event of a ceasefire - something Moscow has already rejected - but say they would want support from the US, or a "backstop."
