Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky has said he is ‘ready’ to sign the minerals agreement with Donald Trump but stressed that his country needs security guarantees going forward
Volodymyr Zelensky has given an ultimatum to Donald Trump, calling for security guarantees before signing the Ukraine minerals deal with the US.
As he arrived in the UK to meet Sir Keir Starmer in Downing Street, the Ukrainian leader said America’s support is “crucial” for his country. He said he is “ready” to sign the minerals agreement with Trump, but he will only do so if there are guarantees that Ukraine will have a ceasefire, and that it will last, with no further attacks from Russia.
Zelenksy said: “We are ready to sign the minerals agreement, and it will be the first step toward security guarantees. But it’s not enough, and we need more than just that. A ceasefire without security guarantees is dangerous for Ukraine.”
He added: “We’ve been fighting for three years, and Ukrainian people need to know that America is on our side.” Zelensky’s plane, emblazoned with the Ukrainian flag, touched at London’s Stansted Airport on Saturday morning and was met by a convoy of cars, following his spat with Trump at the White House on Friday.
The US president claimed Zelensky was “gambling with World War Three” in a series of heated exchanges which were broadcast around the world. The Ukrainian president was also accused of not being thankful enough for US military aid by both the US president and his deputy, JD Vance.
The meeting ended with Zelensky reportedly being kicked out of the White House and plans to sign a deal exchanging Ukrainian mineral rights for American arms were put on ice. Trump later said on his Truth Social platform that Zelensky was not “ready for peace” and told reporters that the Ukrainian leader wanted to “fight, fight, fight” while the US was “looking to end this death”.
Zelensky faced calls from US officials to apologise for his conduct in the Oval Office, but told Fox News he did not think this was necessary. But as his plane landed on British soil, the Ukrainian president struck a conciliatory tone in a series of posts on X, formerly Twitter.
He said Ukraine was “very grateful to the United States for all the support” and added: “I’m thankful to President Trump, Congress for their bipartisan support, and American people. It’s crucial for us to have President Trump’s support.
“He wants to end the war, but no one wants peace more than we do. We are the ones living this war in Ukraine. It’s a fight for our freedom, for our very survival.” On Sunday, Zelensky will attend a crucial summit of European leaders in London, including those from France, Germany, Italy, The Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Romania, along with the British PM. Most of the leaders have already voiced messages of support for Zelensky after yesterday’s meeting in the White House.
