During both the White House meeting and his subsequent Fox News interview, Zelensky argued that some form of security guarantee from the U.S. or European nations would be a key factor in reaching a genuine end to the war, given the numerous times Russia has violated previous agreements to end the conflict in the absence of such protections.
Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky remains hopeful he can salvage his relationship with Donald Trump, after a meeting intended to cement a U.S.-Ukraine minerals deal descended into members of the Republican administration berating the visiting leader in front of news cameras.
After the Oval Office blowup, which began when Zelensky reminded his hosts of the numerous times Russia has broken ceasefire deals that didn’t include security guarantees, Trump cast doubt on the future of the minerals deal.
A White House official told The Independent that the minerals deal was not signed on Friday, and Trump later accused Zelensky of being uninterested in seeking peace.
The Ukrainian leader said security guarantees could come in the form of a European contingent of troops stationed in Ukraine, or further indications that the U.S. proactively sides with Ukraine in the conflict.
