Zelenskyy's office comments on Ukraine-US relations after White House quarrel
Archive photo: Zelenskyy and Trump during their quarrel at the White House on February 28 (Getty Images)
The relations between Ukraine and the United States have returned to normal after the spat between Volodymyr Zelenskyy and Donald Trump at the White House, states the head of the President's Office, Andriy Yermak in an interview with Reuters.
According to Yermak, the two rounds of negotiations on a possible ceasefire that took place in Saudi Arabia allowed American officials to see that Kyiv is ready to work with US President Donald Trump in his effort to end the three-year war between Russia and Ukraine.
At the same time, the head of the President’s Office noted that such statements contradict the Russian approach to negotiations, which, according to him, involves setting conditions for a peace agreement.
"I think we have great conversations with the Americans. I think we are back on track," said Yermak.
He added that during the talks in Saudi Arabia, Ukraine demonstrated that it is very serious about a ceasefire, and "the Americans understood this."
In his opinion, Russia's demand for sanctions relief in exchange for a ceasefire in the Black Sea reflects the Kremlin's approach to peace negotiations in general.
"It shows that they (Russia) did not accept an unconditional ceasefire, which is nonsense. Our logic is that we need to go in without any conditions. The best way to believe otherwise would be Russia’s strict adherence to the agreements reached in Saudi Arabia — at the very least, the initial agreements on an unconditional ceasefire," said Yermak.
Quarrel between Zelenskyy and Trump
On February 28, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and US President Donald Trump had a falling out during a conversation with journalists. Trump sharply reacted to Zelenskyy's statement that the consequences of Russia's war against Ukraine would be felt even in the US.
Their argument led to a series of other events, including the US decision to suspend military aid to Ukrainian defenders. Additionally, the exchange of intelligence between the two countries was halted.
In the aftermath, Zelenskyy wrote on Twitter that Ukraine is ready to sit at the negotiating table as soon as possible. He also suggested the possibility of a ceasefire with Russia in the air and at sea. Trump praised this gesture.
Later, US Special Representative for the Middle East, Steve Witkoff, stated that Zelenskyy allegedly apologized to US President Donald Trump for their quarrel at the White House.
