As Ukraine stares down oblivion, Zelensky admits Oval Office fiasco was ‘regrettable’

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky took to X on Tuesday to describe the furious exchange of words between him and US President Donald Trump and Vice President J.D. Vance at the White House on Friday as “regrettable”.

“Our meeting in Washington, at the White House on Friday, 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,” Zelensky wrote before reiterating Ukraine’s commitment to peace.

However, Zelensky stopped short of an apology, which the Trump administration has already made clear it considers a precondition for dialogue between the two countries to restart.

“Nobody wants peace more than Ukrainians,” Zelensky continued. “My team and I stand ready to work under President Trump’s strong leadership to get a peace that lasts.”

In addition, the Ukrainian leader stressed that Kyiv was ready to sign an agreement on minerals and security “any time and in any convenient format”, calling the agreement “a step toward greater security and solid security guarantees”.

Trump and Zelensky were due to hold talks in Washington on Friday, though as the joint press conference quickly descended into a shouting match between the leaders, the private meeting never took place and Zelensky was asked to leave the White House leaving the mineral deal unsigned.

Zelensky was reproached by both Trump and Vance for “disrespecting” the United States, and was accused of refusing to make peace. Speaking to Fox News after the altercation, Zelensky said that while he respected Trump, he did not believe he had done anything wrong at the White House.

Bloomberg subsequently reported that the Trump administration had made it clear that it was waiting for a public apology from Zelensky. In the meantime, Trump has suspended all military assistance to Ukraine until Zelensky demonstrates a “good-faith commitment to peace”.