New Delhi: Less than 24 hours after his bilateral meeting with US President Donald Trump at the Oval Office spiralled into a 10-minute shouting match, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said in a post on X that he was “very grateful” to the US and “thankful” to Trump, the US Congress and the American people for their support of Ukraine.
His comments came as he landed in London for a defence summit with European leaders to discuss Ukraine’s future. Zelenskyy said that despite the “tough dialogue” the US and Ukraine “remain strategic partners”. He also said that Kyiv is “ready to sign the minerals agreement” with the US and it will serve as the “first step toward security guarantees”.
“But it’s not enough, and we need more than just that. A ceasefire without security guarantees is dangerous for Ukraine.”
The US, he said, will need to define the security guarantees, adding that a “ceasefire won’t work with Putin” who he said “has broken ceasefires 25 times over the last ten years”.
We are very grateful to the United States for all the support. I’m thankful to President Trump, Congress for their bipartisan support, and American people. Ukrainians have always appreciated this support, especially during these three years of full-scale invasion. pic.twitter.com/Z9FlWjF101
— Volodymyr Zelenskyy / Володимир Зеленський (@ZelenskyyUa) March 1, 2025
“Peace is not just the absence of war,” the Ukrainian president wrote, quoting Ronald Reagan who Trump in 2017 called his “favourite” president. Zelenskyy also reiterated his stand that Russia is “wrong because they disrespected our territorial integrity”.
“I cannot change Ukraine’s position on Russia. The Russians are killing us. Russia is the enemy, and that’s the reality we face,” he wrote on X.
Earlier in an interview with Fox News, Zelenskyy admitted that the ‘heated exchange’ with Trump was not good for either side.
He, however, downplayed the incident and advocated for better diplomatic ties.
The heated Oval Office exchange was followed by abrupt cancellation of a joint press conference and stalled negotiations over a minerals deal. It also led to concerns about future US support, though Zelenskyy expressed confidence in continued American backing.
Trump’s push for a quick resolution contrasts with Zelenskyy’s insistence on a durable agreement to deter future Russian aggression.
Zelenskyy’s remarks later in the day were preceded by European leaders rallying behind him after his televised spat with Trump and US Vice President J.D. Vance during which they accused him of ‘not wanting’ a ceasefire with Russia.
Leaders of Germany, France, Spain, Poland and the Netherlands were among those who took to social media in support of Zelenskyy, who in turn, responded to each thanking them for their support—hours after Vance berated him for not saying “thank you” to Trump.
French President Emmanuel Macron, for instance, wrote on X: “There is an aggressor: Russia. There is a victim: Ukraine. We were right to help Ukraine and sanction Russia three years ago—and to keep doing so.”
There is an aggressor: Russia.
There is a victim: Ukraine.
We were right to help Ukraine and sanction Russia three years ago—and to keep doing so.
By “we,” I mean the Americans, the Europeans, the Canadians, the Japanese, and many others.
Thank you to…
— Emmanuel Macron (@EmmanuelMacron) February 28, 2025
Germany’s outgoing Chancellor Olaf Scholz too voiced his support saying “no one wants peace more than the citizens of Ukraine”. However, none of the European leaders commented on Trump and Vance’s hostile stance during the bilateral meeting.
(Edited by Amrtansh Arora)