Zelensky Does an About-Face With Glowing Statement to Trump, but It May Be Too Late
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky did an about-face on Tuesday after days of defying the White House on a ceasefire in Ukraine's war with Russia. As RedState reported, the tensions boiled over on Friday during an Oval Office meeting that was supposed to be a formality before the signing of a mineral-rights-for-aid deal.
After 40 minutes or so of Zelensky dismissing or directly countering U.S. concerns in ways that seemed to purposely undermine President Donald Trump in public, the Ukrainian president interjected to ask Vice President JD Vance what he meant by "diplomacy." That came after Vance criticized the former Biden administration for failing to hold talks. Things blew up from there, with Trump being drawn back into the conversation when Zelensky appeared to threaten that America would suffer if it didn't unconditionally support Ukraine.
ZELENSKY: First of all, during the war, everybody has problems. Even you. But you have nice ocean and don't feel now. but you will feel it in the future. God bless, you won't have war.
TRUMP: Don't tell us what we going to feel. We trying to solve a problem. Don't tell us what we going to feel, because you in no position to dictate that. Remember this. You're in no position to dictate what we're going to feel.
Zelensky then went on Fox News, where he doubled down on his rejection of any ceasefire talks without so-called "security guarantees," which is a euphemism for America using its military to ensure Russia doesn't violate a possible agreement. The Ukrainian president then snowballed the issue by issuing a defiant tweet storm, taking a shot at Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-SC), and then declaring that the end of the war is "very, very, far away." It was as if he were trying to blow up American relations with Ukraine.
For clarity, even if Zelensky honestly doesn't see a path to peace with Russia, that is not something you say publicly in a way that directly undermines the White House's desire to at least make the attempt. Ukraine has always reserved the right to reject any ceasefire proposal it may disapprove over (whether that would be smart or not is another subject). That's what made Zelensky's Oval Office behavior and subsequent media tour so astonishing. It simply made no sense.
A page is attempting to be turned, though. Zelensky has now released a glowing statement directed at Trump that seems to concede essentially every counter he offered just days prior.
ZELENSKY: I would like to reiterate Ukraine’s commitment to peace. None of us wants an 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.
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.
We do really value how much America has done to help Ukraine maintain its sovereignty and independence. And we remember the moment when things changed when President Trump provided Ukraine with Javelins. We are grateful for this.
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.
Regarding the agreement on minerals and security, Ukraine is ready to sign it in any time and in any convenient format. We see this agreement as a step toward greater security and solid security guarantees, and I truly hope it will work effectively.
It doesn't get much more conciliatory than that. Zelensky is now calling the mineral rights deal sufficient to work toward security guarantees instead of demanding they be promised beforehand. He's praising Donald Trump as a leader and admitting the meeting at the White House went badly (something he wouldn't admit during his Fox News interview). Most tellingly, he's now signaling an openness to a ceasefire, which he calls a truce in the statement.
Had Zelensky said all of this on Friday (or just said nothing at all), we wouldn't be in this position. I still have no idea what he was thinking or trying to accomplish. Honestly, it feels like Democrats told the Ukrainian president that Trump couldn't pause aid or that Congress could ensure it keeps flowing. If that's the case, Zelensky got bad information, and he seems to understand that now.
Democrats Encouraged Zelensky to Scoff at a Deal, Set Up Oval Office Scene
The problem is that it may be too late. The relationship between Trump and Zelensky was already frayed, largely due to the latter's belief that Kamala Harris would win the 2024 presidential election. That manifested through derisive statements about Trump and Vance as well as the Ukrainian president campaigning with Democrats in the swing state of Pennsylvania. Will Trump forgive and forget now that Zelensky has changed his tune and offered real concessions? That remains to be seen.
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