US President Donald Trump said he had received a letter from Volodimia Zelensky late Tuesday, agreeing to “come to the negotiation table” to sign a peace deal with Russia and agreeing to Russia’s announcement that he is “prepared for peace.”
“I am grateful that he sent this letter,” Trump said he attended a joint Congressional meeting in Washington, the BBC reported.
It came after Zelensky said in a social media post that he was ready to work under Trump’s “strong leadership” to achieve lasting peace.
The statement shows the cooling of tensions between leaders following a fierce meeting in the oval office last week.
In his speech to Congress, Trump said that after receiving a “important letter” from Zelensky on Tuesday, it was an excerpt from it before reading what he said.
Some of what he read used the exact same language as a statement posted by Zelensky on Tuesday.
“This letter is ready for Ukraine to come to the negotiation table as soon as possible to bring lasting peace closer. No one wants peace than Ukrainians,” Trump said.
Continuing from what he said, Zelensky’s letter said, “My team and I are ready to work under the strong leadership of President Trump, so we can continue to be at peace.”
Trump also said Zelensky said he was ready to sign a rare earth mineral trade with the United States.
Ukraine has not commented on the letter yet.
The US president also said there was a “serious debate” with Russia, saying “they received a strong signal that they were ready for peace.”
Trump did not indicate when the talks took place or whether he was personally involved.
“It’s time to end this pointless war. If you want to end it, you have to talk to both sides,” he added.
Earlier Tuesday, Zelensky described the White House showdown as “disappointing” with Trump after the US announced a suspension of military aid to Kiev.
Zelensky said “it’s time to get things right” after accusing Trump of not being prepared to come to the negotiation table.
The Ukrainian leader also outlined the first stages of how the war ends.
Last week, the oval office meeting between Zelensky and US officials was scheduled to end with two political parties signing a deal that granted US access to Ukrainian rare earth minerals.
After a clash in which Trump accused Zelensky of “gambling with World War I,” the Ukrainian delegation left without signing the contract. Trump told Zelensky: “When you’re ready for peace, come back.”