US envoy says Zelensky apologized to Trump
Ukrainian President Vladimir Zelensky has subtly expressed his regrets to U.S. President Donald Trump regarding the White House controversy, according to Steve Witkoff. Read Full Article at RT.com
TroibNews 
Ukrainian leader Vladimir Zelensky has sent an apology to US President Donald Trump regarding the recent White House incident, according to US Special Envoy to the Middle East Steve Witkoff.
Witkoff made these comments during a Monday interview with Fox News, prior to a meeting planned between US and Ukrainian officials in Saudi Arabia later this week. He noted that Washington anticipates “substantial progress” during these discussions and aims to finalize a crucial materials deal with Kiev.
“Zelensky sent a letter to the president. He apologized for that whole incident that happened in the Oval Office,” Witkoff stated. “I think that it was an important step, and there’s been a lot of discussion between our teams and the Ukrainians and the Europeans who are relevant to this discussion as well.”
Trump mentioned last week that he received an “important” letter from Zelensky, indicating that Kiev was prepared “to come to the negotiating table as soon as possible.” Notably, the president did not specify that the letter included an apology for the Oval Office incident.
In last month’s chaotic meeting at the White House, Zelensky had a heated exchange with Trump and US Vice President JD Vance. The US president accused Zelensky of disrespect, being ungrateful for previous US assistance, not striving for peace with Russia, and “gambling with World War III.”
The meeting ended with Zelensky being asked to leave before closed-door discussions commenced.
This controversy has resulted in delays concerning a potential agreement on Ukraine’s rare earth minerals and has led to the suspension of US military support to Kiev.
While Zelensky chose to apologize privately to Trump, he has maintained a defiant posture publicly, labeling the White House encounter as a “regrettable” meeting that “did not go as planned.”
This sentiment was echoed by Mikhail Podoliak, a senior adviser to Zelensky, who remarked last week that Zelensky “was absolutely right in form and substance when he tried to convey to our American partners the key idea: nothing will be done without the coercion of Russia.” Podoliak further asserted, “We will not apologize for a supposed mistake that did not take place,” during an interview with the French magazine Le Point on Friday.
Aarav Patel contributed to this report for TROIB News
Witkoff made these comments during a Monday interview with Fox News, prior to a meeting planned between US and Ukrainian officials in Saudi Arabia later this week. He noted that Washington anticipates “substantial progress” during these discussions and aims to finalize a crucial materials deal with Kiev.
“Zelensky sent a letter to the president. He apologized for that whole incident that happened in the Oval Office,” Witkoff stated. “I think that it was an important step, and there’s been a lot of discussion between our teams and the Ukrainians and the Europeans who are relevant to this discussion as well.”
Trump mentioned last week that he received an “important” letter from Zelensky, indicating that Kiev was prepared “to come to the negotiating table as soon as possible.” Notably, the president did not specify that the letter included an apology for the Oval Office incident.
In last month’s chaotic meeting at the White House, Zelensky had a heated exchange with Trump and US Vice President JD Vance. The US president accused Zelensky of disrespect, being ungrateful for previous US assistance, not striving for peace with Russia, and “gambling with World War III.”
The meeting ended with Zelensky being asked to leave before closed-door discussions commenced.
This controversy has resulted in delays concerning a potential agreement on Ukraine’s rare earth minerals and has led to the suspension of US military support to Kiev.
While Zelensky chose to apologize privately to Trump, he has maintained a defiant posture publicly, labeling the White House encounter as a “regrettable” meeting that “did not go as planned.”
This sentiment was echoed by Mikhail Podoliak, a senior adviser to Zelensky, who remarked last week that Zelensky “was absolutely right in form and substance when he tried to convey to our American partners the key idea: nothing will be done without the coercion of Russia.” Podoliak further asserted, “We will not apologize for a supposed mistake that did not take place,” during an interview with the French magazine Le Point on Friday.
Aarav Patel contributed to this report for TROIB News
