Volodomyr Zelensky made an 11th-hour attempt to “make things right” with Donald Trump on Tuesday and said he was ready to make peace with Russia.

As the US president prepared to give a landmark speech on Ukraine, Mr Zelensky backed down and said he would sign Mr Trump’s minerals deal in an extraordinary social media message.

It is understood Sir Keir Starmer helped persuade the Ukrainian president to swallow his pride and offer the olive branch to his US counterpart after their public argument in the Oval Office last week.

The Prime Minister spoke to Mr Zelensky on Tuesday to deliver “hard truths” and advise him on what the US president would need to hear before talks could get back on track.

Soon afterwards, the Ukrainian leader published a long message on social media, praising the US president’s “strong leadership”, expressing gratitude for his country’s military help, and describing their argument as “regrettable”.

He said he was ready to “come to the negotiating table” with Mr Trump and sign the president’s mineral deal and would also countenance a ceasefire in the sea and the air.