Days after a row with President Donald Trump over not being "thankful" for the United States' support in the war against Russia, Ukraine's Volodymyr Zelensky on Monday said he "understands the importance of America" and is "grateful" for all the assistance.
His video message on X came two days after he was shouted down at the White House by Trump and Vice President JD Vance for not being "thankful" and refusing to accept their proposed truce terms.
"Of course, we understand the importance of America, and we are grateful for all the support we've received from the United States. There has not been a day when we haven't felt gratitude. It's gratitude for the preservation of our independence – our resilience in Ukraine is based on what our partners are doing for us – and for their own security," he said after attending a key summit on the Russia-Ukraine war in London.
As a result of these days, we see clear support from Europe. Even more unity, even more willingness to cooperate.
— Volodymyr Zelenskyy / Володимир Зеленський (@ZelenskyyUa) March 3, 2025
Everyone is united on the main issue – for peace to be real, we need real security guarantees. And this is the position of all of Europe – the entire continent. The… pic.twitter.com/inGxdO8jQz
"Everyone is united on the main issue - for peace to be real, we need real security guarantees. And this is the position of all of Europe - the entire continent, the United Kingdom, the European Union, and Turkey," he added.
The security summit was hosted by UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer. France's Emmanuel Macron, Canada's Justin Trudeau, and Italy's Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni were among the 18 leaders who attended the meeting on the war, which broke out when Russian President Vladimir Putin ordered the invasion of Ukraine in 2022.
The summit in London was dedicated to Ukraine and our shared European future.
— Volodymyr Zelenskyy / Володимир Зеленський (@ZelenskyyUa) March 2, 2025
We feel strong support for Ukraine, for our people – both soldiers and civilians, and our independence. Together, we are working in Europe to establish a solid foundation for cooperation with the… pic.twitter.com/6CiBZ1HhOA
"What we need is peace, not endless war. And that's why we say security guarantees are the key to this," Zelensky said.
The Trump-Zelensky Spat
On Friday, Donald Trump's first meeting with Volodymyr Zelensky since he returned to power in January began with exchanging compliments but turned into a fiery argument within minutes in front of the international media.
The heated Oval Office exchange began when JD Vance stressed the need for diplomacy to resolve the Ukraine war. He also accused Zelensky of not being "thankful" for US support when the Ukrainian President questioned his calls for "diplomacy" with Russia.
Trump also berated Zelensky, telling him that without US assistance, Ukraine would have been conquered by Russia.
Watch this carefully. Very important.
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) February 28, 2025
pic.twitter.com/wdM3XdbrH1
Zelensky then drove off in his motorcade shortly after having been asked to leave, without holding a planned joint press conference.
The US and Ukraine also didn't sign a minerals deal, which was supposed to be a step towards helping to end the war.
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