Volodymyr Zelenskyy said he was ready to work under Donald Trump's "strong leadership" to achieve lasting peace days after their explosive Oval Office meeting. The Ukrainian president described the White House showdown as "regrettable" in a lengthy social media post in the wake of the US announcing a pause in military aid to Kyiv, BBC reported.
Zelenskyy said "it was time to make things right" after Trump had accused him of not being ready to come to the negotiating table.
The Ukrainian leader also outlined the first stages of how the war could be ended.
"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," he wrote.
British PM Starmer shows Zelenskyy support
"Then we want to move very fast through all next stages and to work with the US to agree a strong final deal."
In his social media post, Zelenskyy said Friday's meeting "did not go the way it was supposed to be," adding, "It is regrettable that it happened this way," he wrote. "It is time to make things right. We would like future cooperation and communication to be constructive,” BBC said.
He also reiterated that Ukraine was ready to sign a mineral deal with the US after the failure to do so at the Washington meeting, BBC said in its report.
Ukraine woke to the news on Tuesday that the US was "pausing and reviewing" its military aid to the country after a breakdown in diplomacy last week, according to BBC.
In his post, Zelenskyy offered an overt declaration of gratitude for the help the US has so far given to his country. "We do really value how much America has done to help Ukraine maintain its sovereignty and independence," he wrote.
"And we remember the moment when things changed when President Trump provided Ukraine with javelins. We are grateful for this," he added, referring to the US anti-tank missile system sold to Ukraine during Trump's first administration.
During Friday's meeting in the Oval Office, Vice President JD Vance accused Zelenskyy of being ungrateful for the military support the US had provided, BBC reported.
"Have you said 'thank you' once this entire meeting?" Vance said, before Trump told Zelenskyy he was not being "very thankful.".
Zelenskyy defended himself in the meeting and began an interview with Fox News in the hours afterwards, saying, "I'm very thankful to Americans for all your support."
The Oval Office meeting between Zelenskyy and US officials last week was due to conclude with the two parties signing a deal that would grant the US access to rare earth minerals in Ukraine.
After the clash, which saw Trump accuse Zelenskyy of "gambling with World War III", the Ukrainian delegation left without signing the deal – Trump told Zelenskyy, come back when you're ready for peace", BBC said.
