Ukraine war: Volodymyr Zelensky ‘apologised’ to Donald Trump in letter ahead of peace talks
Volodymyr Zelensky is said to have apologised to Donald Trump over their now infamous White House clash, as the Ukrainian President arrived in Saudi Arabia for truce talks.
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Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky apologised to US President Donald Trump days after their now infamous Oval Office clash, US special envoy Steve Witkoff claimed.
“Zelensky sent a letter to the president. He apologised for that whole incident that happened in the Oval Office,” Witkoff, 67, told Fox News on Monday.
“I think that it was an important step, and there’s been a lot of discussion between our teams and the Ukrainians and the Europeans who are relevant to this discussion as well.”
Mr Trump, 78, publicly revealed that he received a letter from Mr Zelensky, 47, last Tuesday during his annual presidential address to Congress last week. But Mr Trump made no mention of receiving an apology.
It comes as Mr Zelensky arrived Monday in Jeddah ahead of talks between Ukrainian officials and Saudi and US representatives, said a member of the delegation travelling with him.
“We landed in Jeddah,” an official from Ukraine’s delegation told AFP.
Kyiv will propose an aerial and naval ceasefire with Russia during talks with US officials in Saudi Arabia this week.
The talks on Tuesday will be the first Ukraine-US meeting since the White House clash that led to Washington halting military aid to Kyiv.
“We do have a proposal for a ceasefire in the sky and ceasefire at sea,” the official told AFP on Monday, speaking on condition of anonymity.
“Because these are the ceasefire options that are easy to install and to monitor and it’s possible to start with them.”
Asked if Ukraine would sign the deal in Saudi Arabia, Mr Witkoff said: “I think Zelensky has offered to sign it, and we’ll see if he follows through.”
Ukrainian and US officials will meet in the Red Sea city of Jeddah to seek a way out of the conflict, more than three years since Russia launched its full-scale invasion.
Britain’s Financial Times newspaper, citing a source briefed on preparations for the talks, said Kyiv would propose a partial ceasefire hoping that Washington would resume military aid and intelligence-sharing.
Mr Zelensky on Monday said Ukraine wants peace, insisting Russia was the sole reason that the war was carrying on.
“Ukraine has been seeking peace since the very first second of the war, and we have always said that the only reason that the war is continuing is because of Russia,” he wrote on social media.
Mr Zelensky will meet Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, the de facto Saudi leader, on Monday, before his officials sit down with the Americans on Tuesday.
He said Ukraine is “fully committed to constructive dialogue”, but wants its interests to be “taken into account in the right way”.
“We hope for results, both in terms of bringing peace closer and continuing support,” Mr Zelensky said in his evening address on Sunday.
Chief US diplomat Marco Rubio also touched down and was welcomed by Arab leaders.
UKRAINE ‘MAY NOT SURVIVE’: TRUMP
Donald Trump has suggested that Ukraine might not be able to survive against Russia even if the US forged ahead with full-blown military support for its fight.
Mr Trump’s remarks came while defending his decision to draw down support to Ukraine in the face of Polish President Andrzej Duda’s and others’ concerns that Europe lacks the might to prop up Kyiv without help from the US.
“Well, it may not survive anyway,” Mr Trump told Fox News on Sunday Morning Futures.
“We have some weaknesses with Russia,” Mr Trump added.
“It takes two. Look, it was not going to happen – that war and it happened. So now we’re stuck with this mess.”
During the interview, Mr Trump also took another pot-shot at Ukrainian leader Volodymyr Zelensky following their Oval Office clash.
Mr Trump accused Mr Zelensky of having taken “money out of this country under Biden like candy from a baby”.
“It was like taking candy from a baby what he did,” he said.
“He’s a smart guy and he’s a tough guy and he took money out of this country under Biden like candy from a baby. It was so easy.
“I just don’t think he’s grateful.”
When asked if he expected Mr Zelensky “to come back” and complete the minerals deal, he replied: “Yeah. I think so. I think it’ll happen.”
Meanwhile, Mr Zelensky made an ironic quip about his choice not to wear a suit to the White House.
In a video released by the presidency, Mr Zelensky, a former actor and comedian, thanked the audience at the end of his speech at an awards ceremony, adding: “Sorry I’m not in a suit”, to smiles and applause.
The president was dressed in a black outfit with Ukraine’s trident symbol similar to what he wore during his acrimonious exchange with the US president last month.
Last week CIA director John Ratcliffe confirmed that most intelligence sharing with Ukraine has been paused.
The Trump administration has also halted aid to Ukraine.
Ukrainian and American officials are set to meet in Saudi Arabia this week.
MUSK CALLS FOR SANCTIONS ON UKRAINE’S OLIGARCHS
Elon Musk has called for US sanctions against the top 10 Ukrainians to end the war, while claiming his own Starlink system is the “backbone of the Ukrainian army”.
The tech baron was responding to a post by Senator Mike Lee on X that the US shouldn’t give money to Kyiv after protesters raised a Ukrainian flag in front of the White House.
“Place sanctions on the top 10 Ukrainian oligarchs, especially the ones with mansions in Monaco, and this will stop immediately. That is the key to the puzzle,” Musk wrote.
Amid the backlash, one user accused him of attacking Ukraine more than Russia. In response, Musk reiterated his 2022 challenge for Russian dictator Vladimir Putin to fight him.
“I literally challenged Putin to one-on-one physical combat over Ukraine and my Starlink system is the backbone of the Ukrainian army,” he wrote.
“Their entire front line would collapse if I turned it off.”
“What I am sickened by is years of slaughter in a stalemate that Ukraine will inevitably lose. Anyone who really cares, really thinks and really understands wants the meat grinder to stop. PEACE NOW!!”
Musk challenged Putin to one-on-one combat in 2022 after Russia invaded neighbouring Ukraine. The fight never happened.
DUTTON SLAMMED OVER UKRAINE SWIPE
Deputy Prime Minister Richard Marles has slammed Peter Dutton for “politicising” plans to potentially send Australian peacekeepers to Ukraine in the event of a ceasefire.
The Opposition leader accused Prime Minister Anthony Albanese of “shooting from the hip” following the pledge to British Prime Minister Keir Starmer late last week.
He urged the PM to “make informed judgments on what’s in the country’s best interest” and described the prospect of Aussie boots on the ground as “unbelievable”.
Asked about the swipe, Mr Marles said support for Ukraine enjoyed bipartisan support and that any request for peacekeepers would be given “due consideration”.
“What has surprised me is that Peter Dutton has sought to politicise this in a way which really beggars belief,” Mr Marles told the ABC.
“All we’re saying we’ll do is give due consideration to the kind of requests … for that support, which we’ve thought has enjoyed bipartisan support.
“And yet Peter Dutton, on the eve of an election, is out there trying to politicise this, which is genuinely concerning.
“Anybody who thinks that national interest can be compromised in the face of seeking votes, or what seems to be popular, frankly, is not fit to govern.
“It is really important that we stay the course here and that means that we provide our support to Ukraine.”
Support for Ukraine has gained renewed focus following the disastrous meeting between US President Donald Trump and Ukraine leader Volodymyr Zelensky.
Mr Trump had accused Mr Zelensky of “gambling with world war three” and not being interested in peace talks with Russia after its 2022 full-scale invasion.
Mr Starmer has since rallied support both in Europe and abroad for a “coalition of the willing” to support Ukraine in the event of a peace deal with Russia.
Mr Albanese said Australia would participate in a meeting of the Chiefs of Defence in Paris on Tuesday, but that it was too early to say what Australia’s contribution would be.
“Both of our nations are very clear about our support for Ukraine and it of course is too early — you can’t have peacekeeping forces without having peace,” he said.
“But I certainly have said, very clearly, publicly, repeatedly, that we would give consideration to participating in any peacekeeping mission in the Ukraine.”
Some of those sentiments were echoed by Mr Dutton in his criticism of the PM’s pledge, stating that “there’s no peace yet” and so “no peace to keep”.
“It’s unbelievable the PM’s talking about moving troops from Australia to … Ukraine when Italy, Germany, France has made no decision yet to base troops there,” he said.
Mr Dutton described Russia’s invasion of Ukraine on its second anniversary last year as “illegal, immoral, and abominable” and a “cruel reality of history hit home”.
“Within two months of Russia’s invasion, the former Coalition Government delivered a comprehensive $285 million package of support for Ukraine,” he said.
“The Coalition has given bipartisan support to every announcement made subsequent to Australia’s change in government.”
RUSSIA STRIKES UKRAINE WITH 100 DRONES
Ukraine officials say Russia launched over 100 drones targeting the capital and several regions at a crucial point in the war as Washington has frozen aid supplies.
The wave of attacks followed deadly strikes in eastern and northeastern Ukraine that killed at least 14 people.
Ukraine is set to hold negotiations with US officials in Saudi Arabia on Tuesday, with Washington hoping to forge a deal on a ceasefire and a “framework” for a peace agreement after freezing arms shipments to Kyiv and blocking access to intelligence reports and satellite imagery.
Ukraine’s air force said Russia launched 119 drones overnight, of which 71 were downed in a dozen regions and in Kyiv, while 37 others went missing without causing harm.
It said drones caused damage in six regions, without giving specifics.
On Saturday evening, a glide bomb attack hit residential buildings in the town of Druzhkivka in the Donetsk region, where the front line now lies close to several major towns, wounding 12 people including a 15-year-old girl, prosecutors said.
Multi-storey blocks of flats and a cafe were damaged, prosecutors said, posting images of blown-out windows and debris scattered on the ground.
Russia said that over the past day Ukraine had launched 131 drones on its Belgorod region bordering Ukraine, of which 101 were shot down. The region’s governor Vyacheslav Gladkov said no one was hurt.
TRUMP SLAMS RUSSIA OVER UKRAINE ‘POUNDING’
Donald Trump has threatened to impose widespread sanctions and tariffs on Russia after it carried out major military strikes across Ukraine using drones and ballistic miles.
Mr Trump issued a warning to the Kremlin and Ukraine in the wake of the strikes on energy and gas infrastructure, urging the parties to “get to the table right now, before it is too late”.
“Based on the fact that Russia is absolutely ‘pounding’ Ukraine on the battlefield right now, I am strongly considering large scale banking sanctions, sanctions, and tariffs on Russia until a cease fire and FINAL SETTLEMENT AGREEMENT ON PEACE IS REACHED,” Mr Trump posted online.
The attacks came one day after the US halted sharing crucial intelligence sharing with Kyiv, which would have previously given prior warning of the attacks.
The strikes came early on Friday local time as a Ukrainian delegation prepared to meet with US counterparts in Saudi Arabia for talks about a possible end to the war.
The Kremlin sought to destroy Ukraine’s energy and gas infrastructure, Volodymyr Zelensky said. It targeted facilities in several regions, including Odessa and Poltava, using nearly 70 cruise and ballistic missiles and almost 200 attack drones, the Ukrainian president said.
“All of this was directed against infrastructure that ensures normal life,” he wrote on social media.
“Currently, repair and restoration work is ongoing.”
He said several people were injured when a missile hit a private building in Kharkiv.
Mr Zelensky is due to travel to Saudi Arabia on Monday to meet Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman. “After that, my team will stay in Saudi Arabia to work with our American partners,” he wrote.
“Ukraine is most interested in peace. As we told POTUS [the president of the US], Ukraine is working and will continue to work constructively for a swift and reliable peace.”
The Trump administration has placed pressure on Ukraine amid apparent US attempts to replace Mr Zelensky.
“I think Ukraine wants to make a deal because they don’t have a choice,” Mr Trump said on Thursday. “I also think that Russia wants to make a deal because in a certain different way – a different way that only I know – they have no choice either.”
Amid growing US rancour, Mr Zelensky has set out a ceasefire plan. On Friday local time, he suggested a ban on the use of “missiles, long-range drones and aerial bombs”, as well as a suspension of military operations in the Black Sea.
“Ukraine is ready to pursue the path to peace, and it is Ukraine that strives for peace from the very first second of this war. The task is to force Russia to stop the war,” he posted on X.
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Originally published as Ukraine war: Volodymyr Zelensky ‘apologised’ to Donald Trump in letter ahead of peace talks
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