Editor's Note: This is a developing story and is being updated.
In an interview with Fox News on Feb. 28, President Volodymyr Zelensky attempted to mend any fractured relations that may have emerged following a heated exchange in the White House between himself and U.S. President Donald Trump earlier in the day.
The 45-minute press briefing, which turned into a shouting match between the two leaders, ended with the canceling of the planned signing of the U.S.-Ukraine mineral agreement.
"He disrespected the United States of America in its cherished Oval Office. He can come back when he is ready for peace," Trump posted on Truth Social.
Trump later ordered his officials to tell the Ukrainian officials to leave the White House, despite protest from the Ukrainian delegation.
"We are very close partners," Zelensky told Fox News. "I think this kind of spat is not good for both sides."
Following the meeting, Trump said that Zelensky is "not a man who wants to make peace."
Before leaving for his Mar-a-Lago resort in Florida, Trump told reporters that Ukrainian president was "looking for something that I'm not looking for" and again asserted that Zelenskyy wanted to "fight, fight, fight."
"Either we're going to end it or let him fight it out, and if he fights it out, it's not going to be pretty because without us, he doesn't win," Trump said.
Zelensky pushed back on Trump's comments during his interview asserting that Ukraine is "ready for peace but we need to be in a good position."
"We want peace... that's why I visited President Trump," Zelensky said, adding that he hopes that Trump would show stronger support for Ukraine rather than positioning himself as a mediator in the war. He emphasized that Russia was the aggressor, having launched the invasion. "I want really him to be more at our side," Zelensky said.
Ukraine's president told Fox News' Bret Baier that he doesn’t feel he needs to apologize to Trump after a heated exchange at the White House. "No, I respect president, and I respect American people, and I think that we have to be very open and very honest and I’m not sure that we did something bad," Zelensky said. "I think some things we have to discuss out of media with all respect to democracy and free media."
When asked if Zelensky though the relationship could be salvaged following the tense exchange, Zelensky replied: "Yes, of course, because it's more than to the president. It's a historical relations between our people."
When asked if the confrontation, initiated by Vice President JD Vance, was preplanned, Zelensky replied "I don't know."
Dmytro Basmat
(Updated: )
