On Tuesday, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said his Oval Office meeting that ended in an argument with President Trump and Vice President JD Vance was “regrettable” and suggested potential steps toward peace with Russia after the Trump administration paused all military aid to Ukraine.
Ukrainian officials have said they believe their military stockpiles will only last six months without continued US military aid. US officials speaking to the media about the aid pause said it would remain in place until Ukrainian leadership demonstrated that it was ready to work toward peace. Zelensky insisted on Tuesday that he didn’t want “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 President Trump’s strong leadership to get a peace that lasts,” Zelensky wrote on X.
The Ukrainian leader suggested the first steps of a deal with Russia could involve a ban on long-range attacks, the bombing of energy infrastructure, and attacks at sea.
“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,” he said.
Zelensky said that after those initial steps, Ukraine would “want to move very fast through all next stages and to work with the US to agree a strong final deal.”
Zelensky also expressed gratitude for previous US support and thanked President Trump for supplying Ukraine with Javelin anti-tank missiles during his first term, a step that marked a significant escalation of US support for the Ukrainian military at the time.
Regarding the blow-up in the Oval Office, Zelensky 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.”
The Ukrainian leader also said he was ready to sign the deal on Ukraine’s minerals and other natural resources. President Trump was ready to ink the deal the day of the Oval Office meeting but kicked Zelensky out of the White House after the spat.
In a video address, Zelensky insisted that Ukraine could defend itself without US support but said a good relationship with the US was needed to end the war. “This is not 2022 anymore. Our resilience is stronger now. We have the means to defend ourselves. But for us, maintaining normal, partnership-based relations with America is essential to bringing the war to a real end,” he said.
Get serious Z, propose a complete unconditional ceasefire, just one week even, to work on building peace instead of posturing for more advantage in war.
Get serious, nhmakingwaves. In just one week, your posturing Trumpenführer has maligned a US ally and sided with a murderous war criminal.
https://uploads.disquscdn.com/images/993d36b8c82eb3ee20b43fa34790a3fba55dbdcabd234a475682ffea7524052e.png
There's an accurate description of Z's idea of peace. Better yet, we'll get our arms, cash, and internet service out of your country and you can go self-determine yourself to death.
In Russia, the "Z" is seen as a staunchly pro-war symbol of Putin's invasion of Ukraine.
Here's an accurate description of your beloved fascist dictator…
https://uploads.disquscdn.com/images/3b591b2474ff66801fe095bee04ddaf1a6de93f5acbbf83a6252add154ec1d51.jpg
Your right about the Z, now that I think about it. Truly my intent was just to abreviate zelensky, not to cheer on Russia's assault.
On the other stuff, war crimes and aggression have not come from just one side.
You’re wrong about bothsidesing the war of aggression that Russia started. Which war crimes have Ukraine committed?
The United Nations Human Rights Council created the Independent International Commission of Inquiry on Ukraine to investigate violations and abuses of human rights, violations of international humanitarian law, and other crimes that may have been committed in the context of the aggression by the Russian Federation against Ukraine.
https://www.ohchr.org/en/press-releases/2022/10/un-commission-concludes-war-crimes-have-been-committed-ukraine-expresses
Intentionally targeting civilians and civilian infrastructure, as I understand Russia has also done. When it comes to aggression, overthrowing Ukraine’s democratically elected president and repressing Russian speakers in the donbas instead of implementing regional autonomy as agreed in Minsk were aggressive steps. But I suppose the gospel mantra we’re supposed to believe is that Russia’s invasion was TOTALLY unprovoked.
Ukrainian forces may have put Ukrainian civilians in harm’s way by establishing bases and operating weapons systems in populated residential areas, as they repelled the Russian invasion which killed countless Ukrainian civilians and destroyed civilian infrastructure.
But I suppose that Kremlin trolls like yourself will never accept the fact that Russia’s illegal invasion was TOTALLY unprovoked.
Whether someone is “provoked” or not is entirely a subjective judgment on the part of the party so claiming.
If I feel “provoked” byyour polka-dot bow tie, I’m “provoked.”
That doesn’t mean you’re a bad guy for wearing the polka-dot bow tie, of course. You have no control whatsoever over whether I’m “provoked.”
Whether someone is "provoked" or not is entirely obvious by their actions.
Russia illegally invaded Ukraine in violation of international law.
Did my retort provoke a negative response in your mind?
Nah — I tend to be pretty calm.
LOL! Like all anarchists.
Oh, I know some pretty high-strung anarchists. I’m just not one of them anymore.
Sure.
Because that's not a fact. But some of the provocations had little to do with Ukraine, such as waves of NATO expansion.
According to Amnesty International that is a fact.
Russia’s waves of attacks on Ukraine has everything to do with Russian expansion.
Russia’s annexation of Crimea from Ukraine and subsequent full-scale invasion of Ukraine led Finland and Sweden to apply for NATO membership in May 2022. Finland joined on 4 April 2023, and Sweden joined on 7 March 2024. NATO allies reaffirmed Ukraine’s “irreversible” path toward NATO membership in July 2024.
If Amnesty claims Russia's invasion was unprovoked, that's not readily findable. They do say both sides have used mines and cluster munitions, is that both-sides-ing it..?
yes, some believe the hype on NATO. Any NATO country can veto new members, do you really believe there's any chance Ukraine will ever be added?! Even if Europe gets fully on board, do you really believe there's any real chance of Ukraine winning this militarily? How does this end in your view?
https://www.amnesty.org/en/location/europe-and-central-asia/eastern-europe-and-central-asia/ukraine/report-ukraine/
https://www.amnesty.org/en/latest/news/2022/08/ukraine-ukrainian-fighting-tactics-endanger-civilians/
Interesting article, but it doesn't seem to say anything about Russia's invasion being unprovoked.
The article was in reference to the allegation of Ukrainian “war crimes”.
The article also said: Many of the Russian strikes that Amnesty International documented in recent months were carried out with inherently indiscriminate weapons, including internationally banned cluster munitions, or with other explosive weapons with wide area effects.
You don’t seem to understand that Russia became hostile after the 2014 Ukrainian revolution, which was followed by Russia’s illegal annexation of Crimea from Ukraine, and the war in Donbas. Putin didn’t like that his pro-Kremlin puppet Viktor Yanukovych was ousted, and then he illegally invaded Ukraine. Unprovoked.
You clearly believe the misinformation on NATO. FYI, Ukraine is a NATO partner. It already has the support of all NATO countries.
Please tell me how Ukraine “provoked” Russia into invading them?
After three years of holding their own without requesting help from any foreign troops, I think there’s a very real chance of Ukraine winning this war with the extra military assistance Europe has pledged.
You're sure Hungary and the US would say yes to Ukraine joining NATO? I understand the official process for adding new countries precludes countries at war or in ongoing territorial disputes. Ukraine provoked Russia by repressing Russian speakers in the East and refusing to implement Minsk. Europe in principle plans to massively borrow to buy Ukraine weapons, but Germany for instance might not actually do it. Even if the US sells the arms, the manpower and Intel gap Ukraine has relative to Russia is insurmountable.
Please explain how Ukraine “provoked” the war? Seeking NATO membership is not provocation.
" Ukraine provoked Russia by repressing Russian speakers in the East and refusing to implement Minsk." And the antidemocratic coup.
ukraine will gain nothing more with violence. Negotiating will go a lot better now before the war goes even worse for Ukraine, which it will.
The supposed failure by Ukraine to implement the Minsk agreements is a view which echoes the Russian narrative. The Minsk agreements have long since become a byword for the West’s failure to deal with the post-2014 conflict in Ukraine.
In reality, Putin’s decision in 2022 to recognize the so-called Donetsk and Luhansk people’s republics killed off the Minsk agreements. Your pro-Putin propaganda would go a lot better if your beloved dictator weren’t a murderous war criminal.
Russia was remarkably patient before resorting to recognizing the people's republics. Name calling and finger pointing won't improve anything.
Russia was remarkably violent in Syria, resorting to committing countless human rights abuses. Name calling is quite appropriate for vile war criminals.
I’m not familiar with the exact history there, but many countries especially my own have started wars and abused human rights. Perhaps name calling is at times appropriate, but it’s quite rarely productive.
Defending a murderous dictator is quite unproductive.
How does this end other than WWIII that kills us all anyway..?
Your apocalyptic world view seems rather pathetic to me. Russia could end this war very easily, however, your stupidity never ends.
Trump is flailing around while the rest of the world is trying to prevent him from killing us all.
If you want to talk about apocalyptic scenarios: Trump's lunatic, evangelical, pro-Zionist base are praying for Armageddon. They want to kill us all.
Russia will never give up their only warm water port (crimea). Yes indeed about Trump's rabid Zionist base, that certainly concerns me greatly as well.
US should stop all funding. Period. Prolonged engagement will just lead to — prolonged, expensive, undoubtedly bloody engagement. Expensive, too. US doesn't need Ukraine's minerals.
The US should stop funding wanted war criminals.
The world doesn't need Israel's genocidal Zionist ideology.
https://uploads.disquscdn.com/images/4d7ecf6acf18df7d2618a6f4448c2e2ccc91022d663dfe0a58123ca3ef147e4a.jpg