Today's Edition
London (AFP)
Volodymyr Zelensky insisted on Saturday that Donald Trump's support was still "crucial" for Ukraine despite an undiplomatic row with the US president that left Kyiv's European allies scrambling for new responses to Russia's invasion.
The Ukrainian president touched down in London for a meeting with British Prime Minister Keir Starmer on Saturday afternoon, ahead of emergency talks on Sunday with Kyiv's European backers, blindsided by the stunning White House blow-up in which Trump berated Zelensky for not being "ready" for peace with Russia.
Friday's argument sent alarm bells ringing across Europe.
Following the clash, Zelensky departed the White House without signing an expected deal on Kyiv's rare minerals, but the Ukrainian leader insisted he was still "ready" to sign the agreement as "the first step toward security guarantees".
"It's crucial for us to have President Trump's support. He wants to end the war, but no one wants peace more than we do," Zelensky said in a post on social media platform X.
In an interview with the BBC, NATO chief Mark Rutte said that he talked to Zelensky and told him he had to "find a way" to restore his relationship with Trump after the row.
During the televised clash, Trump and Vice President JD Vance accused Zelensky of not being "thankful" and refusing to accept their proposed truce terms.
"You're either going to make a deal or we're out, and if we're out, you'll fight it out and I don't think it's going to be pretty," Trump said.
Zelensky indicated that he was still open to signing the deal on Ukraine's mineral wealth coveted by Trump, insisting that "despite the tough dialogue" Ukraine and the United States "remain strategic partners".
"But we need to be honest and direct with each other to truly understand our shared goals," the Ukrainian leader wrote on X.
