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Ukrainian President Voldimia Zelenki said he believes he can save relations with the United States following a controversial meeting at the Oval Office between President Donald Trump and Vice President JD Vance on Friday.
Zelensky said he was still willing to sign a contract that grants the US access to Ukraine’s rare earth minerals, which was considered the original purpose of his trip to Washington last week.
“If we agree to that [the deal] Signed, from our side we are ready to sign. To be honest, I think the US is ready too. After meeting with European leaders, Zelenskyy told reporters in London on Sunday via a translator.
“I think our relationship will continue when it comes to saving the relationship,” he added.
During a Sunday meeting with European leaders in London, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said he believes the relationship will continue with the US.
Repeating his desire to continue his dialogue with Washington, Zelensky said future debates should occur behind closed doors.
“I don’t think that’s right when such a discussion is fully open… I don’t think that the form of what happened has brought us any positive or addition to us as partners,” he said.
After the exchange between Trump and Vance – they said that Zelenkie had not expressed sufficient gratitude for his country’s support – Zelenkie received a warm reception from the British leaders in London and joined the summit with European leaders this weekend.
The explosion of the oval office has intensified tensions between the US and Ukraine in recent weeks, and Trump has called Zelensky a “dictator” and falsely accused Ukraine of launching a war with Russia.
Some Trump allies in Washington have touted Zelensky as “unprepared” to create peace. House speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) told NBC News’ “Meet the Press” on Sunday that “Zelenskyyy will need to come to “his senses” and return to the table with gratitude, or someone else will need to lead the country.”
Johnson’s comments reflect what Sen. Lindsey Graham said after Friday’s meeting he wasn’t sure if the US could do business with Zelensky again.
“We need to either step down and send someone that we can do business or he needs to change,” Graham said.
In a cry in the oval office last week, Trump told Zelensky that he had no “card” to continue the war, adding that Zelensky was “a gamble with World War II” and was a “tough guy” to help the US country.
“He downplayed the United States in his precious oval office,” Trump later said of the true society. “He can come back when he’s ready for peace.”
In an interview with Bret Baier of Fox News after the exchange, Zelenskyy thanked the US for their support for Ukraine, but refused to apologise for the meeting at the oval office.
“I think we have to be very open and very honest. I don’t know if we’ve done anything wrong,” he said.
This article was originally published on nbcnews.com. For more information about NBC News, click here:
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