Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has sent an apology letter to US President Donald Trump
Just days after their heated Oval Office confrontation, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky apologized to President Trump, U.S. special envoy Steve Witkoff said Monday.
“Zelensky sent a letter to the president. He apologized for that whole incident that happened in the Oval Office,” Witkoff, 67, told Fox News’ America’s Newsroom.
“I think it was an important step, and there’s been a lot of discussion between our teams, the Ukrainians, and the Europeans who are relevant to this issue as well.”
Trump, 78, publicly acknowledged receiving a letter from Zelensky, 47, during his annual address to Congress last week, but he did not mention any apology.
The Post reached out to a Zelensky spokesperson for comment. Mykhailo Podolyak, a top aide, previously told French outlet Le Point that Zelensky would not apologize.
"Ukraine is ready to come to the negotiating table as soon as possible to bring lasting peace closer. Nobody wants peace more than the Ukrainians," Trump read from Zelensky’s letter during his speech.
"We do really value how much America has done to help Ukraine maintain its sovereignty and independence."
U.S. and Ukrainian officials are preparing for a high-level meeting in Saudi Arabia on Tuesday to push peace talks forward after tensions flared between Trump, Vice President JD Vance, and Zelensky during their Oval Office meeting on Feb. 28.
Zelensky had openly criticized Vance’s diplomatic approach toward the Kremlin, pointing to Russian President Vladimir Putin’s track record. Following the exchange, Zelensky was escorted out of the White House, and the mineral agreement the two sides had been set to finalize was left unsigned.
In the aftermath, intelligence sharing and military aid to Ukraine were put on hold, something CIA Director John Ratcliffe later confirmed. However, Witkoff stated that, to his knowledge, intelligence sharing related strictly to Ukraine’s defense was not entirely cut off.
Despite discussions, there are signs that finalizing the mineral deal alone may not be enough for Trump to restart military aid.
“They will sign the minerals deal, but I want them to want peace,” Trump told reporters Sunday. “They haven’t shown it to the extent they should.”