 "Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy departs after a press conference with U.S. President Donald Trump was canceled following their Oval Office meeting at the White House in Washington, D.C. Reuters")
Days after his heated confrontation with US President Donald Trump, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy shared a video message in which he once again thanked the United States for its support in the war against Russia. The Ukrainian leader and his European allies are on a damage control spree after the debacle in the White House earlier this week when Trump and Vice President JD Vance got into a verbal spat with Zelenskyy over the war in Ukraine.
During the meeting, Trump insinuated that Zelenskyy was “gambling with World War Three,” while Vance frequently questioned if the Ukrainian leader was grateful for the American help. At the start of his video message on Sunday, Zelenskyy thanked the European leaders for putting on a united front in support of Ukraine. Then, he frequently mentioned that he was grateful for America’s help.
“As a result of these days, we see clear support from Europe. Even more unity, even more willingness to cooperate,” Zelenskyy said at the start of the video message. “Everyone is united on the main issue – for peace to be real, we need real security guarantees. And this is the position of all of Europe – the entire continent. The United Kingdom, the European Union, Turkey,” he added.
‘What we need is peace’: Zelenskyy
In the video message, Zelenskyy reiterated that not a day went by when Ukraine did not express gratitude for the United States. “Of course, we understand the importance of America, and we are grateful for all the support we’ve received from the United States. There has not been a day when we haven’t felt gratitude,” Zelenskyy said.
“It’s gratitude for the preservation of our independence – our resilience in Ukraine is based on what our partners are doing for us – and for their own security,” he added. Zelenskyy concluded his message by emphasising that what the war-stricken nation needs right now is “peace, not endless war”. “And that’s why we say security guarantees are the key to this,” he averred.
The remarks from Zelenskyy came after he attended a summit of European leaders during his visit to London. The leaders discussed how to navigate the wrath of Russia and the coldness of Trump as they pushed for a new proposal to ensure peace.
During the summit, British Prime Minister Keir Starmer pledged an additional £1.6 billion in UK export finance to support Ukraine. This funding will enable Ukraine to purchase over 5,000 air defence missiles, which will be manufactured in Belfast.
“This will be vital for protecting critical infrastructure now and strengthening Ukraine in securing peace when it comes. We have to learn from the mistakes of the past. We cannot accept a weak deal like Minsk, which Russia can breach with ease," Starmer said on Sunday. Overall, it’ll be interesting to see how Zelenskyy will salvage the deteriorating ties with the US.
With inputs from agencies.