LAST UPDATE | 4 Mar 2025

UKRAINE PRESIDENT VOLODYMYR Zelenskyy has said he wants to “make things right” following his Oval Office blowup with US president Donald Trump.

He also said that Kyiv was ready to sign a deal giving the US preferential access to Ukraine’s natural resources and minerals at “any time and in any convenient format”.

Reuters reported that Donald Trump had told advisers he wanted to announce the deal in his speech to Congress, which will happen at around 2am Irish time.

However, it was cautioned that nothing had been signed and the situation could change.

‘Regrettable’ Oval Office scenes

Last week, there was a public blowup between Zelenskyy and Trump in the White House, with Trump accusing Zelenskyy of “gambling with World War Three”.

In a post on X, Zelenskyy said Friday’s meeting at the White House “did not go the way it was supposed to be”.

“It is regrettable that it happened this way,” said Zelenskyy.

“It is time to make things right. We would like future cooperation and communication to be constructive.”

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

Zelenskyy added that Ukraine “really values 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,” said Zelenskyy, “we are grateful for this.”

Military aid freeze

Last night, Trump suspended military aid for Ukraine.

A White House official said Trump is focused on reaching a peace deal and wants Zelenskyy “committed” to that goal.

The official added that the US was “pausing and reviewing” its aid to “ensure that it is contributing to a solution”. The official spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss the assistance.

The order will remain in effect until Trump determines that Ukraine has demonstrated a commitment to peace negotiations with Russia, the official said.

Russia welcomed the suspension and also said that the lifting of US sanctions was a prerequisite for normalising relations between Moscow and Washington. 

In his regular evening address, Zelenskyy said he had instructed his defence and intelligence chiefs to contact their US counterparts to “get official information” on the aid freeze.

The European Union, which – along with Ukraine – is excluded from US-Russian negotiations towards a potential truce, has been scrambling to bolster support for Kyiv.

The EU on Thursday is to hold an emergency summit aimed at cementing joint European support for Ukraine.

French President Emmanuel Macron praised Zelenskyy for his willingness to “re-engage in dialogue” with Trump, his office said.

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In his social media post today, Zelenskyy said that “none of us wants an endless war”.

He added: “Ukraine is ready to come to the negotiating table as soon as possible to bring lasting peace closer.

“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.”

Minerals deal

Meanwhile, Zelenskyy said that Ukraine is “ready to sign” an agreement on minerals and security “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,” said Zelenskyy.

Ukraine holds deposits of critical minerals, including lithium and titanium, as well as sizable coal, gas, oil and uranium deposits and the agreement would give the United States preferential access to Ukraine’s minerals and natural resources.

Ukraine is also seeking tough security guarantees for an end to the war.

The Reuters news agency has reported that Trump plans to announce the deal as signed during an address to Congress later.