Zelenskyy regrets Oval Office spat with Trump soon after US stops military aid

Kyiv (AP): Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said Tuesday the Oval Office blowup with US President Donald Trump was “regrettable,” and that, “it is time to make things right.”

Zelenskyy's remarkes came hours after the White House announced a pause on military aid to Ukraine.

“Our meeting in Washington, at the White House on Friday, did not go the way it was supposed to be," Zelenskyy said in a post on X. "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.”

He said Ukraine is ready to sign a deal on its rare-earth minerals that was sought by the Trump administration.

“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.”

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…

— Volodymyr Zelenskyy / Володимир Зеленський (@ZelenskyyUa) March 4, 2025

Earlier, Trump has directed a “pause” to US assistance to Ukraine after a disastrous Oval Office meeting to pressure Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy to engage in peace talks with Russia.

Trump earlier on Monday slammed Zelenskyy for suggesting that the end of Russia's war against Ukraine likely "is still very, very far away".