Ukrainian leader Volodymyr Zelensky said on Saturday, March 1, that his country still needed Donald Trump's support, despite the US president berating him in a stunning televised confrontation the day before.
"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," Zelensky said in a post on social media platform X. "We are ready to sign the minerals agreement, and it will be the first step toward security guarantees," Zelensky said on Saturday.
Trump accused Zelensky of not being "thankful" for US military aid, later writing that the Ukrainian president had "disrespected the United States of America in its cherished Oval Office."
Zelensky had planned to sign a long-awaited minerals-sharing deal with Washington on the visit, but Trump officials ordered him to leave after the confrontation, US media reported.
The Ukrainian president landed for talks in London on Saturday. He is set to meet with British Prime Minister Keir Starmer and European allies, his spokesperson said.
"We are in London," spokesperson Sergiy Nykyforov told Agence France-Presse (AFP), adding that Zelensky would meet Starmer at 5:15 pm UK time on Saturday and then King Charles III and a group of European allies on Sunday.
After the televised spat, European leaders and politicians rushed to Zelensky's defense after the spat.
Petro Poroshenko, Zelensky's political rival and predecessor, also appeared to defend Zelensky in a post on Facebook. "Some people expected me to criticize Zelensky. But no, there will be no criticism, because this is not what the country needs now," he said. But he added: "We really hope that President Zelensky has a Plan B."
Speaking to the BBC on Saturday, NATO chief Mark Rutte said Zelensky must "find a way" to restore his relationship with his US counterpart. Rutte said that had talked to the Ukrainian leader and told him: "You have to find a way, dear Volodymyr, to restore your relationship with Donald Trump and the American administration."