
<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-topline">Topline</h2>



<p>Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said in a statement posted on social media he and Ukraine are still committed to working with President Donald Trump and “it is time to make things right,” one day after Trump announced a pause on military aid to Ukraine after Zelenskyy’s contentious visit to the White House.</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-key-facts">Key Facts</h2>



<p>Zelenskyy said in the X&nbsp;<a href="https://x.com/ZelenskyyUa/status/1896948147085049916" rel="noreferrer noopener" target="_blank">statement</a>&nbsp;Ukraine does not want “an endless war” and is ready to “come to the negotiating table as soon as possible to bring lasting peace closer.”</p>



<p>Zelenskyy’s statement was posted just before 11 a.m. EST Tuesday, less than one day after Trump&nbsp;<a href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/mollybohannon/2025/03/04/trump-freezes-ukraine-aid-after-confrontation-with-zelenskyy/">ordered a pause</a>&nbsp;on all military aid for Ukraine amid its ongoing war with Russia until he felt Ukraine’s leaders “demonstrate a good-faith commitment to peace,”&nbsp;<a href="https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2025-03-03/trump-pauses-military-aid-to-ukraine-after-clash-with-zelenskiy?srnd=homepage-americas" rel="noreferrer noopener" target="_blank">Bloomberg</a>&nbsp;reported.</p>



<p>The pause in aid came days after Zelenskyy, Trump and Vice President JD Vance had a&nbsp;<a href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/mollybohannon/2025/02/28/trump-zelenskyy-vance-face-off-in-oval-office-shouting-match-heres-everything-they-said/">heated exchange</a>&nbsp;in the Oval Office in which American leadership criticized Zelenskyy for a lack of gratitude and Trump threatened he was “gambling with World War III.”</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-crucial-quote">Crucial Quote</h2>



<p>“Our meeting in Washington, at the White House on Friday, did not go the way it was supposed to be,” Zelenskyy said in the statement. “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.”</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-big-number">Big Number</h2>



<p>$66.5 billion. That’s about how much&nbsp;<a href="https://www.state.gov/bureau-of-political-military-affairs/releases/2025/01/u-s-security-cooperation-with-ukraine#:~:text=To%20date%2C%20we%20have%20provided,invasion%20of%20Ukraine%20in%202014." rel="noreferrer noopener" target="_blank">U.S. aid</a>&nbsp;and military assistance has been sent to Ukraine since its war with Russia began in February 2022.</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-key-background">Key Background</h2>



<p>Russia invaded Ukraine more than three years ago and the countries have been warring since, with the U.S. and European countries largely backing Ukraine against President Vladimir Putin’s Russia. But Trump was critical of former President Joe Biden’s support of Ukraine, and regularly said throughout his presidential campaign the war would not have begun had he been president at the time Russia invaded Ukraine. Trump&nbsp;<a href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/tylerroush/2025/02/28/trump-threatens-zelensky-during-tense-live-meeting-make-a-deal-or-were-out/">met with Zelenskyy</a>&nbsp;last week in the White House for the signing of a minerals deal that would see Ukraine put some proceeds from its state-owned mineral resources to a jointly owned fund with the U.S. as a way to pay the U.S. back for its support during the war, but the meeting devolved into a shouting match in which Trump&nbsp;<a href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/mollybohannon/2025/02/28/trump-zelenskyy-vance-face-off-in-oval-office-shouting-match-heres-everything-they-said/">told</a>&nbsp;Zelenskyy he and Ukraine “don’t have the cards” to beat Russia without U.S. support. Zelenskyy left the White House without signing the deal, and the meeting drew criticism from Democrats who&nbsp;<a href="https://x.com/atrupar/status/1895593439854547343" rel="noreferrer noopener" target="_blank">said</a>&nbsp;Trump’s behavior made the U.S. look weak.</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-tangent">Tangent</h2>



<p>After the meeting between Zelenskyy and Trump, European leaders announced increased efforts to support Ukraine and end the war with Russia. U.K. Prime Minister Keir Starmer said the U.K., France and other countries were committed to keeping aid flowing to Ukraine, finding a path to lasting peace and developing a “coalition of the willing” to defend Ukraine, the&nbsp;<a href="https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c9vygkzkkrvo" rel="noreferrer noopener" target="_blank">BBC</a>&nbsp;reported. Starmer also&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/ukraine-britain-zelenskyy-europe-starmer-trump-russia-b980170ead74a1a7914c565f14ee6cc9" rel="noreferrer noopener" target="_blank">pledged</a>&nbsp;$2 billion to Ukraine to fund defense missiles.</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-what-to-watch-for">What To Watch For</h2>



<p>Trump’s response to Zelenskyy’s statement.</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-further-reading">Further Reading</h2>



<p><a href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/mollybohannon/2025/03/04/trump-freezes-ukraine-aid-after-confrontation-with-zelenskyy/">Trump Freezes Ukraine Aid After Confrontation With Zelenskyy</a>&nbsp;(Forbes)</p>



<p><a href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/mollybohannon/2025/02/28/trump-zelenskyy-vance-face-off-in-oval-office-shouting-match-heres-everything-they-said/">Trump, Zelenskyy, Vance Face Off In Oval Office Shouting Match—Here’s Everything They Said</a>&nbsp;(Forbes)</p>



<p><a href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/tylerroush/2025/02/28/trump-threatens-zelensky-during-tense-live-meeting-make-a-deal-or-were-out/">Trump-Zelenskyy Talks End Early After Trump Threatens Him In Tense Live Meeting: ‘Make A Deal Or We’re Out’</a>&nbsp;(Forbes)</p>



<p></p>


President Trump Hosts Ukrainian President Zelensky At The White House

Zelenskyy Wants To ‘Make Things Right’ As U.S. Cuts Off Assistance


<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-topline">Topline</h2>



<p>Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said he is ready to sign a stalled minerals deal with the United States in a&nbsp;<a href="https://x.com/ZelenskyyUa/status/1895793386990551336" rel="noreferrer noopener" target="_blank">thread on X</a>&nbsp;on Saturday, in which he also urged the United States to stand strongly behind Ukraine amid its war with Russia, one day after his meeting with President Donald Trump and Vice President JD Vance devolved into a near-shouting match.</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading">Key Facts</h2>



<p><a href="https://x.com/ZelenskyyUa/status/1895793386990551336" rel="noreferrer noopener" target="_blank">Zelenskyy said</a>&nbsp;he is grateful to Trump and Congress for bipartisan support for Ukraine throughout its three-year invasion by Russia, acknowledging “tough dialogue” without mentioning his contentious Friday White House meeting with Trump and Vance.</p>



<p>The&nbsp;<a href="https://x.com/ZelenskyyUa/status/1895793627164471777" rel="noreferrer noopener" target="_blank">Ukrainian president said</a>&nbsp;he is ready to sign the minerals deal—which he and Trump&nbsp;<a href="https://www.reuters.com/world/trump-zelenskiy-did-not-sign-minerals-deal-white-house-says-2025-02-28/" rel="noreferrer noopener" target="_blank">did not sign</a>&nbsp;after their meeting Friday—but said the deal is not enough, stating a “ceasefire without security guarantees is dangerous for Ukraine” and “Ukrainian people need to know that America is on our side.”</p>



<p>“I want the U.S. to stand more firmly on our side,”&nbsp;<a href="https://x.com/ZelenskyyUa/status/1895794114622615757" rel="noreferrer noopener" target="_blank">Zelenskyy said</a>,&nbsp;<a href="https://x.com/ZelenskyyUa/status/1895794247791755302" rel="noreferrer noopener" target="_blank">stating</a>&nbsp;Ukraine’s relationship with the United States is “historic and solid bond between our peoples” that extends beyond Trump and himself.</p>



<p>Zelenskyy said it is “understandable the U.S. might look for dialogue with Putin,” but frequently warned of Russia throughout his X thread, calling the country “the enemy” and stating Putin cannot be trusted to uphold a ceasefire.</p>



<p>Zelenskyy’s tweet thread comes one day after he posted thanks to many foreign leaders for reaffirming their support for Ukraine after his meeting with Trump, including German Chancellor&nbsp;<a href="https://x.com/ZelenskyyUa/status/1895574049960706075" rel="noreferrer noopener" target="_blank">Olaf Scholz</a>, Swedish Prime Minister&nbsp;<a href="https://x.com/ZelenskyyUa/status/1895574466580861106" rel="noreferrer noopener" target="_blank">Ulf Kristersson</a>, European Parliament President&nbsp;<a href="https://x.com/ZelenskyyUa/status/1895574887684874478" rel="noreferrer noopener" target="_blank">Roberta Metsol</a>&nbsp;and European Commission President&nbsp;<a href="https://x.com/ZelenskyyUa/status/1895577227255013664" rel="noreferrer noopener" target="_blank">Ursula von der Leyen</a>.</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading">What Happened At Zelenskyy’s White House Meeting?</h2>



<p>Zelenskyy visited the&nbsp;<a href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/tylerroush/2025/02/28/trump-threatens-zelensky-during-tense-live-meeting-make-a-deal-or-were-out/">White House</a>&nbsp;Friday to discuss the minerals deal with the United States, but his visit was cut short and the signing called off after a talk with Trump and Vance in the Oval Office grew increasingly tense and verged on a&nbsp;<a href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/mollybohannon/2025/02/28/trump-zelenskyy-vance-face-off-in-oval-office-shouting-match-heres-everything-they-said/">shouting match</a>&nbsp;between the three leaders. When Vance suggested the path to peace should be through engaging in diplomacy, Zelenskyy questioned the vice president: “What kind of diplomacy, JD, (are you) speaking about?” stating Putin is an unreliable partner in a potential cease-fire deal. Vance then called Zelenskyy “disrespectful” for trying to “litigate this in front of the American media” and questioned whether Zelenskyy had thanked the United States for its support. Trump entered the argument after Zelenskyy said “everybody has problems. Even you, but you have nice ocean and don’t feel now, but you’ll feel it in the future,” telling Zelenskyy: “Don’t tell us what we’re gonna feel,” adding the Ukrainian president he is “gambling with World War III.” Trump later told Zelenskyy: “You’re either gonna make a deal or we are out.”</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading">What Are The Details Of The Ukraine Minerals Deal?</h2>



<p>Trump has framed the minerals deal with Ukraine as necessary for repayment for military aid provided to Ukraine during its war with Russia. The&nbsp;<a href="https://www.cnn.com/2025/02/26/europe/ukraine-us-mineral-resources-deal-explained-intl-latam/index.html" rel="noreferrer noopener" target="_blank">terms of the deal</a>&nbsp;would reportedly establish a “reconstruction investment fund,” to which half the revenue from Ukraine’s state-owned natural resources projects would go. Zelenskyy has pushed for the deal to include greater security guarantees for Ukraine, though&nbsp;<a href="https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025/feb/25/trump-zelenskyy-ukraine-minerals-deal" rel="noreferrer noopener" target="_blank">Trump has said</a>&nbsp;he would look for greater security for Ukraine “later on.” Trump initially demanded $500 billion from Ukrainian minerals from the deal, which Zelenskyy rejected, prompting Trump to call him a “dictator” in a tense war of words.</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading">What Minerals Does Ukraine Possess?</h2>



<p>Ukraine’s Ministry of Environmental Protection and Natural Resources says the country has Europe’s number-one graphite, lithium, titanium and uranium reserves, which are crucial for producing batteries, armor, defense materials and nuclear fuel. Partnering with Ukraine to source these minerals could reduce the United States’&nbsp;<a href="https://www.theguardian.com/world/2025/feb/17/what-are-ukraines-critical-minerals-and-why-does-trump-want-them" rel="noreferrer noopener" target="_blank">reliance on China</a>&nbsp;and Russia to import these minerals.</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading">Further Reading</h2>



<p><a href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/mollybohannon/2025/02/28/trump-zelenskyy-vance-face-off-in-oval-office-shouting-match-heres-everything-they-said/">Trump, Zelenskyy, Vance Face Off In Oval Office Shouting Match—Here’s Everything They Said</a>&nbsp;(Forbes)</p>



<p><a href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/tylerroush/2025/02/28/trump-threatens-zelensky-during-tense-live-meeting-make-a-deal-or-were-out/">Trump-Zelenskyy Talks End Early After Trump Threatens Him In Tense Live Meeting: ‘Make A Deal Or We’re Out’</a>&nbsp;(Forbes)</p>


Tag: Volodymyr Zelenskyy

FORBES AFRICA SOCIAL MEDIA

Zelenskyy Wants To ‘Make Things Right’ As U.S. Cuts Off Assistance

Zelenskyy Says He’ll Sign Minerals Deal And Urges US To ‘Stand More Firmly’ For Ukraine After Oval Office Clash