New Delhi: Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy President Volodymyr Zelenskyy of Ukraine recently adopted a more conciliatory tone towards the United States following his tour of Europe. On Sunday, he expressed his willingness to reconcile with former U.S. President Donald Trump, but emphasised that any discussions should take place in private and behind closed doors. Zelenskyy also expressed his willingness to resign from his position if Ukraine receives security guarantees and NATO membership. But he also expressed that Ukraine would never cede land to Russia to reach peace.
Last Friday, in the Oval Office, Trump engaged in a heated debate with the Ukrainian leader, accusing him in front of reporters of disrespecting the United States and raising the risk of a third world war. Support for Ukraine is currently under scrutiny during the intense debate.
Zelenskyy thanked European countries for their support for Ukraine despite these tensions. He said European leaders had reached a consensus on preparing a U.S. peace plan that may be ready in the coming days. He also held out hope for security guarantees from Washington to discourage further Russian aggression.
Zelenskyy further took what appeared to be a measured position regarding the Oval Office encounter, speaking to journalists at London’s airport. He brushed aside worries that the U.S. would shrink back, saying “no civilised world power” would choose to stand with Russian President Vladimir Putin. But he also stressed the importance of preparing for any scenario.
This disagreement over the president’s request was one of the major topics of conversation in the Oval Office setting, including a mineral deal between Ukraine and the U.S. that was later shelved due to the disagreement. Zelensky replied, “On this issue, the situation is very simple: we had an agreement that this deal was ready for signing.” I think America will be too.” Ukraine has large deposits of lithium and other rare minerals essential for the U.S., and Trump was reportedly offering aid in return for them.
Zelenskyy stated that he has no intention of setting himself against the U.S. He repeated his call for a permanent truce, saying he did not want any needless wars.