By Alessandra Galloni
LONDON (Reuters) -Ukraine’s Volodymyr Zelenskiy mentioned on Sunday he believed he might salvage his relationship with U.S. President Donald Trump after their explosive assembly within the Oval Workplace, however that talks wanted to proceed behind closed doorways.
Zelenskiy reiterated that Ukraine wouldn’t concede any territory to Russia as a part of a peace deal. He mentioned he was nonetheless prepared to signal a minerals take care of the U.S. and described a dialogue on Sunday with European leaders to ship a draft peace plan to the U.S. as a key improvement.
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In a rare assembly that was broadcast reside on Friday, Trump accused Zelenskiy of being ungrateful for U.S. assist, of exhibiting disrespect to his nation and of risking World Battle Three, casting into doubt Washington’s ongoing help for Ukraine in its three-year-long struggle with Russia.
Zelenskiy spoke to reporters at a London airport after a summit with European leaders in London on Sunday. Whereas he appeared in good spirits and thanked European international locations for his or her help, the Ukrainian chief was cautious to stability his dismay with the occasions of Friday’s Oval Workplace assembly with a transparent need to maintain speaking with Washington.
Zelenskiy mentioned he didn’t assume the U.S. would cease its help to Ukraine, as a result of as “leaders of the civilized world” they might not wish to assist Russian President Vladimir Putin.
However he mentioned he remained ready for any end result.
“As regards salvaging the connection, I feel our relationship will proceed,” Zelenskiy instructed reporters by way of a translator after the London summit.
However he added: “I don’t assume it is proper when such discussions are completely open. … The format of what occurred, I do not assume it introduced one thing constructive or further to us as companions.”
A visibly shaken Zelenskiy arrived in London on Saturday the place he was met with a heat embrace from British Prime Minister Keir Starmer and by cheering supporters round Downing Avenue.
On the summit on Sunday Starmer mentioned European leaders had agreed to attract up a Ukraine peace plan to take to the U.S., within the hope that Washington would provide the safety ensures Kyiv says are very important to discourage Russia.
Zelenskiy mentioned Ukraine relied on the U.S. as its high army backer and that stopping the availability of weapons would solely assist Putin. “The U.S. are … leaders of the civilized world, and they won’t assist Putin,” he mentioned.
An influential Russian parliamentarian, Konstantin Kosachev, on Sunday derided the hopes for Europe’s stepping as much as forge a peace plan. “And if Ukraine ought to depend on one thing, it could solely be on progress (if there’s any to come back) in Russian-American relations,” he wrote on Telegram.
READY TO SIGN MINERALS DEAL
The abrupt ending to Zelenskiy’s Washington journey meant that the 2 international locations did not signal a much-vaunted minerals deal that Kyiv hoped would spur Trump to again Ukraine’s struggle effort, however Zelenskiy mentioned Ukraine was nonetheless prepared to signal it.
“We agreed upon signing it; and we had been able to signal it. And truthfully I imagine the USA could be prepared as properly,” he mentioned.
Trump had sought to solid the minerals deal as a manner for Ukraine, which is dwelling to a trove of lithium deposits and uncommon earth minerals, to repay the U.S. for its billions of {dollars} in assist.
Whereas Zelenskiy sought to keep away from any additional antagonism of the U.S., saying he didn’t wish to go over what had occurred, he was extra forceful on any future ceasefire deal, saying Ukraine wouldn’t hand sovereignty of occupied Ukrainian land to Russia.
“Everybody wants to grasp that Ukraine won’t ever recognise no matter is occupied by Russia as Russian territories,” he mentioned.
“We hope that these safety ensures will make it 100% unimaginable to offer Russia the chance to come back with one other aggression”.
Zelenskiy mentioned there had been contact between Kyiv and Washington since Friday’s bust-up, though not at his degree, and requested if he had thought of resigning, he confirmed no signal of wavering.
“As regards resignation, if I am to be modified … to vary me it won’t be simple as a result of it’s not sufficient to easily maintain elections. You would want to forestall me from taking part within the elections and it is going to be a bit harder.”
Some Republican leaders had urged that Zelenskiy wanted to resign after Friday’s assembly with Trump.
Zelenskiy repeated once more, nonetheless, that if Ukraine was granted NATO membership, he would have fulfilled his mission.
(Reporting by Alessandra Galloni; writing by Kate Holton; Enhancing by Leslie Adler)
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