Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has said that the Oval Office dispute with US President Donald Trump was “regrettable”, and that “it is time to make things right”.
Mr Zelensky’s remarks came hours after the White House announced a pause on military aid to Ukraine.
He said Ukraine is ready to sign a deal on its rare-earth minerals that was sought by the Trump administration.
In an apparent reference to Mr Trump’s criticism following the contentious White House meeting on Friday that Mr Zelensky does not want a peace deal, the Ukrainian leader said: “None of us want an endless war.”
“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. My team and I stand ready to work under President Trump’s strong leadership to get a peace that lasts,” he said.
The meeting “did not go the way it was supposed to be”, Mr Zelensky said.
“It is regrettable that it happened this way. It is time to make things right. We would like future cooperation and communication to be constructive.”
The US decision to pause military aid catapulted his country into alarm and apprehension.
Mr Zelensky’s statement came before Mr Trump was expected to address the US Congress later on Tuesday.
“Regarding the agreement on minerals and security, Ukraine is ready to sign it in any time and in any convenient format,” Mr Zelensky said.
“We see this agreement as a step toward greater security and solid security guarantees, and I truly hope it will work effectively.”
Mr Zelensky’s post came as officials in Kyiv said they were grateful for vital US help in the war and want to keep working with Washington.
The country’s prime minister, though, said Ukraine still wants security guarantees to be part of any peace deal and won’t recognise Russian occupation of any Ukrainian land. Those are potential stumbling blocks for Washington and Moscow, respectively.
Ukraine and its allies are concerned Mr Trump is pushing for a quick ceasefire that will favour Russia, which Kyiv says cannot be trusted to honour truces.
A White House official said the US was “pausing and reviewing” its aid to “ensure that it is contributing to a solution”.
The order will remain in effect until Mr Trump determines that Ukraine has demonstrated a commitment to peace negotiations, said the official, who spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss the assistance.
The pause in US aid is not expected to have an immediate impact on the battlefield. Ukrainian forces have slowed Russian advances along the roughly 600-mile front line, especially in the fiercely contested Donetsk region some 400 miles east of Kyiv.
The Russian onslaught has been costly in troops and armour but has not brought a strategically significant breakthrough for the Kremlin.