LAST UPDATE | 1 Mar 2025

VOLODYMYR ZELENSKYY HAS said Ukraine is prepared to sign a minerals-sharing deal with the US, but has stressed that the agreement must be matched with security guarantees.

The Ukrainian President was due to sign the agreement at the White House yesterday but left early following an unprecedented public row with US President Donald Trump in the Oval Office in Washington D.C.

In a lengthy statement posted to X, formerly Twitter, this morning, Zelenskyy began by thanking the US and its citizens for the support the country has provided and shown to his army as it fights against a full-scale Russian invasion.

Zelenskyy repeated what he told Fox News last night, that the US-Ukraine relationship is more than a friendship between two Presidents. He said that his country stands ready to agree to a deal that will deliver lasting peace.

Yesterday, Vice President JD Vance accused the Ukrainian President of not showing thanks to Trump in the Oval Office, while the US President claimed Zelenskyy was “not ready” to make a peace deal and, in front of the media, accused him of gambling with ‘World War Three’.

Trump and Vance repeatedly shouted at Zelenskyy during the encounter, accusing him of disrespecting the American public and the Office of the US Presidency. The Ukrainian President left after the exchange and a planned press conference did not go ahead.

A signing ceremony for the minerals-sharing deal, a sign that the US sought to diplomatically engage with Ukraine and reportedly help the country with the reconstruction of infrastructure following the war, was also cancelled.

Trump and Vance repeatedly shouted at Zelenskyy during the encounter in the Oval Office yesterday. Alamy Alamy

Trump told the Ukrainian leader in the Oval Office: “You’re either going to make a deal or we’re out, and if we’re out, you’ll fight it out and I don’t think it’s going to be pretty.”

He later posted on social media that the Ukrainian leader can “come back when he is ready for peace”. The US President also commented that Zelenskyy was “overplaying his hand”.

Zelenskyy’s statement addressed many of these claims this morning, by stating that while the Ukrainian people want peace, they equally want protection from Russia and for President Vladimir Putin to be held accountable for attempting to conquer their nation.

“We need to be honest and direct with each other to truly understand our shared goals,” he said, adding that President Trump and his administration’s continued support is “crucial” to achieving them.

“He (Trump) wants to end the war, but no one wants peace more than we do. We are the ones living this war in Ukraine. It’s a fight for our freedom, for our very survival.”

The Ukrainian leader stated that a ceasefire will not work with Putin, claiming that he has broken truce agreements more than 25 times over the last 10 years. He said a “real peace” is the “only solution” for Ukrainians.

As President Reagan once said, “Peace is not just the absence of war.” We’re talking about just and lasting peace—freedom, justice, and human rights for everyone. A ceasefire won’t work with Putin. He has broken ceasefires 25 times over the last ten years. A real peace is the…

— Volodymyr Zelenskyy / Володимир Зеленський (@ZelenskyyUa) March 1, 2025

Quoting former US President Ronald Reagan, a foreign policy expert in the eyes of long-term Republican voters in America, Zelenskyy said: “Peace is not just the absence of war.”

He added that lasting peace is necessary for freedom, justice and human rights Ukraine, and detailed that he shared Trump’s belief that the “first step” to the end of the war is the minerals-sharing deal.

However, he claimed, that agreement is “not enough”, as a ceasefire deal without security guarantees from the US is “dangerous” for Ukraine.

“Ukrainians need to know that America is on our side,” he said, adding that he cannot change the population’s view of Russia – describing the country as the “enemy”.

“Ukraine wants peace, but its must be a just and lasting peace,” he continued. “We need to be strong at the negotiation table. Peace can only come with security guarantees, when our army is strong and our partners are with us.”

He said commitments to establish “clear structures of security” for Ukraine must be made, whether or not his country is entitled to Nato membership.

Zelenskyy and Trump during an Oval Office meeting yesterday. Alamy Alamy

Zelenskyy added: “All Ukrainians want to hear a strong U.S. position on our side. It’s understandable the U.S. might look for dialogue with Putin.

“But the U.S. has always spoken about ‘peace through strength.’ And together we can take strong steps against Putin.”

While Russia welcomed Trump’s comments, with former Russian president Dmitry Medvedev calling Zelenskyy an “insolent pig” who had received “a proper slap down”, support from Europe has overwhelmed the Ukrainian leader.

The Ukrainian President publicly thanked EU leaders individually online following the fiery meeting between himself and Trump.

Speaking on the Late Late Show the Taoiseach described the scenes in the White House as “extraordinary and very, very unsettling”. Micheál Martin said it was a “huge” setback for a truce in the Ukraine-Russia war.

Micheál Martin responds to todays events in The White House #latelate pic.twitter.com/Q88Gb6JrS3

— The Late Late Show (@RTELateLateShow) February 28, 2025

The Fianna Fáil leader said that he has the “utmost admiration” for Volodymyr Zelenskyy.

UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer, who met with Trump earlier this week, is due to host Zelenskyy and international leaders this weekend. A spokesperson confirmed last night that Starmer had engaged with both Presidents following the meeting. 

Starmer and Zelenskyy met in London this morning ahead of the meeting.