London:
Days after the unprecedented and explosive showdown with US President Donald Trump at the White House, Ukraine’s Volodymyr Zelensky said on Sunday that he believed the relations with the United States could still be salvaged, but the talks needed to continue behind closed doors.
Calling for an “equal dialogue”, Mr Zelensky said he’s willing to meet Mr Trump if the US President “invites him” again “to solve real problems.” He also said Ukraine is ready to accept a minerals deal that was put on hold last week.
‘Equal Dialogue’
“We are worthy of an equal dialog,” Mr Zelensky said Sunday in London after attending a security summit of European leaders meant to rally support for Ukraine, according to a report by Bloomberg.
The Ukrainian President, who chose his words carefully after his clash with Mr Trump and Vice President JD Vance on Friday during an acrimonious White House meeting, said holding such a conversation in the open wasn’t positive for both the US and Ukraine.
He spoke in his native tongue, declining a reporter’s request to switch to English to avoid misinterpretation.
“I am convinced that the situation will pass and more important things are ahead,” Mr Zelensky said. If the US president invites him “for a constructive dialog, to solve real problems, for serious issues and real, decisive actions and answers – I will arrive,” he said.
Mineral Deal
Mr Zelensky reiterated that Ukraine would not concede any territory to Russia as part of a peace deal. He said he was still willing to sign a minerals deal with the US and described a discussion on Sunday with European leaders to send a draft peace plan to the US as a key development.
He also defended his right to stand up for the dignity of his country and its people, and urged partners to show understanding for the suffering endured by Ukraine since Russia’s invasion three years ago. “I’m ready for any format of constructive relations with the US,” Mr Zelensky said.
Later, while speaking to reporters at a London airport after a summit with European leaders, Mr Zelensky thanked European countries for their support. He also said he did not think the US would stop its assistance to Ukraine, because as “leaders of the civilized world” they would not want to help Russian President Vladimir Putin.
Relationship With US
But he said he remained prepared for any outcome. “As regards salvaging the relationship, I think our relationship will continue,” Mr Zelensky told reporters via a translator after the London summit.
But he added: “I do not think it’s right when such discussions are totally open. … The format of what happened, I don’t think it brought something positive or additional to us as partners.”
In an extraordinary meeting that was broadcast live on Friday, Mr Trump accused Mr Zelensky of being ungrateful for US aid, of showing disrespect to his country and of risking World War Three, casting into doubt Washington’s ongoing support for Ukraine in its three-year-long war with Russia.
The abrupt ending to Mr Zelensky’s Washington trip meant that the two countries failed to sign a much-vaunted minerals deal that Kyiv hoped would spur Mr Trump to back Ukraine’s war effort, but Mr Zelensky said Ukraine was still willing to sign it.
Later, a visibly shaken Mr Zelensky arrived in London on Saturday, where he was met with a warm embrace from British Prime Minister Keir Starmer and by cheering supporters around Downing Street.
At the summit on Sunday, Starmer said European leaders had agreed to draw up a Ukraine peace plan to take to the US, in the hope that Washington would offer the security guarantees Kyiv says are vital to deter Russia.