US President Donald Trump said in an address to both houses of Congress that he had received a letter from Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy in which he states his readiness for peace talks. He said there have also been signals from Russia that it is ready for peace.
“Today I received an important letter from Ukrainian President Zelenskyy. The letter says: ‘Ukraine is ready to sit at the negotiating table as soon as possible to bring a lasting peace closer. No one wants peace more than the Ukrainians,'” Trump said.
He said Zelenskyy also said he was ready to sign a mining agreement “at any convenient time.”
Trump said he was grateful for the letter, adding, “At the same time, we had serious talks with Russia and got strong signals that they are ready for peace.”
Volodymyr Zelenskyy said he was ready to sit down at the negotiating table on Tuesday when he commented on his altercation with Trump in the Oval Office. He also previously said Ukraine was ready to sign a subsoil agreement.
“I am working tirelessly to end the brutal conflict in Ukraine,” Trump said. – Millions of Ukrainians and Russians have been killed or wounded in vain in this horrific and brutal conflict with no end in sight. The U.S. has funneled hundreds of billions of dollars to support Ukraine’s defense.”
“Do you want this to go on for another five years?” – Trump asked and reiterated that the U.S. has spent far more than Europe to support Ukraine.
“Unfortunately, Europe has spent more money buying Russian oil and gas than it has spent on the defense of Ukraine. Think about that.”
Some Democrats left the room when Trump spoke about Ukraine.
In his speech, the U.S. president did not coyly suspend military aid to Kyiv, which was announced the day before.
