Zelenskyy tries damage control as Russia welcomes U.S. decision to pause Ukraine military aid
Ukrainian PM calls Trump meeting 'regrettable,' says it's 'time to make things right'
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said on Tuesday his clash with U.S. President Donald Trump last week was "regrettable," that he was ready to work under the U.S. president's leadership to bring lasting peace, and that it was "time to make things right."
The statement came after Washington paused military aid to Kyiv in a stunning move overnight, days after Zelenskyy's talks with Trump and Vice-President JD Vance descended into acrimony, prompting the U.S. secretary of state to call on the Ukrainian leader to apologize.
"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," Zelenskyy posted on X.
"My team and I stand ready to work under President Trump's strong leadership to get a peace that lasts."
His statement made no mention of the U.S. suspension of military assistance, the latest move by Trump's administration that has upended U.S. policy on the war in Ukraine and adopted a more conciliatory stance toward Moscow.
The Ukrainian leader said Kyiv was interested in future co-operation and communication with the United States.
"We do really value how much America has done to help Ukraine maintain its sovereignty and independence," he said.
"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."
Kremlin welcomes pause of aid to Ukraine
The Kremlin said Tuesday that pausing U.S. military aid to Ukraine would be the best contribution to the cause of peace, but cautioned that Russia needed to clarify the details of the move by Trump.
Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov was cautious on reports of a pause in U.S. aid, saying the details needed to be seen.
"It is obvious that the United States has been the main supplier of this war so far," said Peskov. "If the United States stops … or suspends these supplies, it will probably be the best contribution to the cause of peace."
Russia welcomed Trump's statements about his wish for peace in the region, Peskov said, "but we will continue to see how the situation develops in reality."
Ukraine lawmaker fears 'capitulation'
The pause was announced by a White House official late Monday.
Zelenskyy and a delegation had travelled to Washington last week to sign the framework of a deal to create an investment fund with the U.S., as part of an effort to extract minerals in Ukraine, but a public discussion in the Oval Office devolved into accusations and recriminations.
I would like to reiterate Ukraine’s commitment to peace. <br><br>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…
—@ZelenskyyUaUkraine Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal said Tuesday that Ukraine's military has the means to maintain the situation on the front line with Russian forces.
"We will continue to work with the U.S. through all available channels in a calm manner," Shmyhal told a news conference.
Oleksandr Merezhko, head of Ukraine parliament's foreign affairs committee, expressed his concerns.
"On the surface, this looks really bad," said Merezhko. "It looks like [Trump] is pushing us toward capitulation, meaning [accepting] Russia's demands. To stop aid now means to help Putin."
Russian President Vladimir Putin sent tens of thousands of troops into Ukraine in February 2022. The conflict in eastern Ukraine began in 2014 after a pro-Russian president was toppled in Ukraine's Maidan Revolution and Russia annexed Crimea, with Russian-backed separatist forces fighting Ukraine's armed forces.
Russia currently controls about one-fifth of Ukraine, about 113,000 square kilometres, while Ukraine controls about 450 square kilometres of Russia, according to open-source maps of the war and Russian estimates.
EU plots joint defence spending
European leaders will be under pressure to increase defence spending as a result of the U.S. decision.
The European Commission on Tuesday proposed new joint European Union borrowing to lend to EU governments to boost Europe's defence capabilities. Commission President Ursula von der Leyen unveiled proposals that could mobilize close to 800 billion euros [$1,227.5 billion Cdn], though they would have to be approved by the entire bloc.
"This is a moment for Europe. And we are ready to step up," she said.
Von der Leyen did not give a detailed timeframe, but the joint borrowing would go toward building capabilities in air and missile defence, artillery systems, missiles and ammunition, drones and anti-drone systems, as well as cyber operations, the Commission said.
EU leaders will discuss the proposal at a special summit devoted to defence spending on Thursday.
Meanwhile, British Finance Minister Rachel Reeves told a conference for domestic manufacturers that the government there wants to speed up procurement to help deliver equipment more quickly. The British government last week said it would increase its defence spending.
Several European leaders expressed disappointment with the American decision.
Finland's Foreign Minister Elina Valtonen said at an event in London that a U.S. pivot toward Russia is unlikely to bring an end to the war.
Valtonen said she was also "a little bit concerned" by a recent U.S. order to pause offensive cyber operations against Russia during negotiations aimed at ending the Ukraine war.
Democrat slams decision
Trump has been critical of Ukraine well before Zelenskyy became president, claiming that officials there interfered in the 2016 U.S. election. The claims were dismissed as a conspiracy theory, and both a special counsel report and a Republican-led congressional report established that Russia interfered in that election.
In his first term as American president, Trump suggested to Zelenskyy in a phone call that the Ukrainian leader should co-operate in efforts to discredit political rival Joe Biden. U.S. aid to Ukraine was delayed, Democrats impeached Trump for what they said was a quid pro quo, and Trump was eventually acquitted in the Senate on charges of abuse of power and obstruction of Congress.
Questions over Trump's connections to Putin have hung over him since his 2016 presidential run, and it was later learned that while campaigning then, discussions on a Trump Tower project in Moscow were taking place with Russian officials.
In July 2018, while standing alongside Putin in Helsinki, Trump appeared to embrace the Russian leader's claims over U.S. intelligence officials with respect to election interference two years earlier.
Jeanne Shaheen, of New Hampshire, the top Democrat on the Senate's foreign relations committee, said late Monday in a statement that Trump "has kicked the door wide open for Putin to escalate his violent aggression against innocent Ukrainians."
Trump addresses Congress on Tuesday night, six weeks into a tumultuous term defined not just by his statements and actions toward Ukraine, but also attempts to immediately slash the federal bureaucracy through a group advised by billionaire Elon Musk, as well as the application of steep tariffs on American allies, including Canada..
With files from CBC News and The Associated Press