Zelensky wants US to ‘stand more firmly’ on Ukraine’s side
Getty ImagesUkrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said he hopes the United States will communicate with U.S. President Donald Trump and he wants the United States to “stand by our side.”
After Zelensky arrived in the UK for the summit of European leaders, he urged the United States to continue its support for Ukraine despite a “hard dialogue” between the two sides.
Zelensky, Trump and U.S. Vice President JD Vance broke each other in a clash at the Oval Office on Friday. Trump told Zelensky to reach a deal with Russia, or Vance accused him of being ungrateful.
European leaders rally behind Zelenskybut NATO Secretary-General said he must “find a way” to restore relations with Trump.
When he landed in the UK, Zelensky posted the subject of 14 posts on X, in which he reiterated the demand for U.S. security assurances to form part of any “just and lasting” peace agreement to end the war with Russia.
He noted that Trump wanted to end the war, which began with a full-scale Russian invasion of Ukraine on February 24, 2022, but added that no one wanted peace more than Ukraine.
The badly fateful White House meeting aims to get the United States to acquire Ukraine’s rare earth mineral deposits before signing a deal. Instead, Zelensky was told to leave early before signing.
Trump later told reporters that the Ukrainian president “exaggerated his hand” in the exchange and that he needed to “say ‘I want peace'” to renegotiate with the United States.
Zelensky said Saturday that Ukraine was preparing to sign a mineral agreement to become the “first step in security assurance” for the United States – he maintained the route for several days, but Trump refused to agree.
“But that’s not enough, we need more than just more,” he added. “A ceasefire without security guarantees is dangerous to Ukraine.”
He added: “All Ukrainians want to hear our strong position on our side. It is understandable that the United States may have a dialogue with (Russian President Vladimir) Putin.
“But the United States always talks about ‘peace by force’. Together we can take powerful measures against Putin.”
In Russia, a Kremlin Foreign Ministry spokesman called Zelensky’s visit to Washington a “complete diplomatic failure in Kiev.”
Maria Zakharova said the Ukrainian president was “obsessed with” extending the war and repeated Russia’s insistence on annexing all territory that Russia currently occupies.
Before the London summit, European leaders will further discuss efforts to ensure a peace agreement, and Zelensky met British Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer – who “retains firm support for Ukraine”.
Speaking in his office, Sir Kyle told Zelensky that he was “very popular in Downing Street” and reiterated that Britain would stand with Ukraine.
He added: “Based on Ukraine’s sovereignty and security, Ukraine’s lasting peace – so important to Ukraine, so important to Europe, so important to Britain.”
Senior politicians from all over Europe also lag behind in Ukraine after Friday’s extraordinary scene in the United States.
Leaders in Germany, France, Spain, Poland and the Netherlands are the people who publish social media messages that support Ukraine – Zelensky responded directly to everyone in order to thank them for their support.
French President Emmanuel Macron said: “There is an invader: Russia. There is one victim: Ukraine. Three years ago, we had the right to help Ukraine and ratify Russia – and continue to do so.”
“No one wants peace more than Ukrainian citizens,” wrote Germany’s outgoing prime minister Olaf Scholz, who added, “we stand with Ukraine” and “we must not confuse the invaders and victims of this terrible war.”
NATO Chief Mark Rutte told the BBC on Saturday that he spoke with Zelensky twice after the White House meeting and told him that “we must respect” everything Trump has done for Ukraine so far.
He mentioned the first Trump administration Approved for sale of javelin anti-tank missile systems Allow Ukraine to “attack”.
Two years after Trump left the office, Putin launched a war.
Russia has been slowly gaining on the battlefield for several months.
In Kharkiv, northeastern Ukraine, officials said 12 people, including two children, were injured in a “massive” one-night drone strike shortly after Zelensky left the White House.
The casualties included four female patients at a hospital in the city center. The Ukrainian Procuratorate said residential buildings, pharmacies, cafes and shops were also damaged.
The conversation worsened Friday, after U.S. Vice President JD Vance (sitting with other politicians in the room) told Zelensky that the war must end through diplomacy.
Zelensky’s answer was “What kind of diplomacy is asking?”, referring to the previous ceasefire agreement in 2019, agreed three years before Russia’s full invasion when Moscow supported and armed separatist fighters in eastern Ukraine.
The vice president then accused Zelensky of disrespect and “litigation” the situation in front of the media.
