Zelensky reaches out to Trump after US aid freeze
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The news: Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has offered an olive branch to US President Donald Trump, saying it is “time to make things right” after a tense Oval Office meeting and Trump’s abrupt suspension of US military aid to Ukraine.
In a post on X, Zelensky said Ukraine was ready to negotiate “as soon as possible” under Trump’s “strong leadership” to achieve a “peace that lasts.”
He proposed a prisoner exchange and a truce on missile, drone and bomb attacks on energy and civilian infrastructure, if Russia reciprocates.
The context: A US-Ukraine minerals-sharing deal was meant to be signed on Friday, but was put on ice after a public fallout between Zelensky and Trump.
In the early hours of Europe’s Tuesday morning, the Trump administration announced an immediate aid freeze, reportedly catching NATO allies off guard and raising fears that Russia could gain the upper hand.
European leaders are now calling for greater defence self-reliance.
The Kremlin welcomed the US aid freeze, saying it could “genuinely push the Kyiv regime towards a peace process,” while calling on the US to lift sanctions on Russia.
What they said: "Our meeting in Washington, at the White House on Friday, did not go the way it was supposed to be. 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," Zelensky said in the post.
"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."
The source: Volodymyr Zelensky social media post
