Ukraine ready to sign mineral deal with America: Zelensky

The Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky described the White House showdown as "regrettable" in a lengthy social media post in the wake of the US announcing a pause in military aid to Kyiv after a breakdown in diplomacy last week.

In the post, Zelensky said, "Friday's meeting 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. We would like future co-operation and communication to be constructive," he wrote.

Zelensky's statement comes in response to Trump's accusation that he was unprepared to join the negotiating table, reports BBC.

The Ukrainian leader also outlined the first stages of how the war could be ended.

"We are ready to work fast to end the war, and the first stages could be the release of prisoners and truce in the sky – ban on missiles, long-ranged drones, bombs on

energy and other civilian infrastructure – and truce in the sea immediately, if Russia will do the same," he wrote.

"Then we want to move very fast through all next stages and to work with the US to agree a strong final deal," he added.

He also reiterated that Ukraine was ready to sign a minerals deal with the US, after the failure to do so at the Washington meeting.

In his post, Zelensky offered an overt declaration of gratitude for the help the US has so far given to his country.

"We do really value how much America has done to help Ukraine maintain its sovereignty and independence," he wrote.

During Friday's meeting in the Oval Office, Vice-President JD Vance accused Zelensky of being ungrateful for the military support the US had provided.

Zelensky defended himself in the meeting, and began an interview with Fox News in the hours afterwards, saying: "I'm very thankful to Americans for all your support."