Days after Oval Office clash with Donald Trump, Zelensky says Russia peace deal 'far far away'

Zelensky hoped for continued American support despite his recent fallout with President Trump and his deputy JD Vance.

Published on: Mar 3, 2025, 22:46:37 IST

By HT News Desk

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Days after the infamous Oval Office clash with US President Trump, who said Ukraine should be looking to end the war, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky acknowledged that a peace deal with Russia is "far far away."

Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelensky said Kyiv's relationship with the United States will continue. (AFP)

However, Zelensky hoped for continued American support despite his recent fallout with President Trump and his deputy JD Vance.

“I think our relationship (with the U.S.) will continue because it’s more than an occasional relationship,” Zelensky said late Sunday, referring to Washington’s support for the past three years of war.

“I believe that Ukraine has a strong enough partnership with the United States of America” to keep aid flowing, he said at a briefing in Ukrainian before leaving London.

The Ukrainian leader was in London to attend UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer’s effort to rally his European counterparts around continuing — and likely much increased — support for Kyiv.

Also Read | Ukraine MP's Plan B against Russia if US halts support: ‘Not incapable of…’

Zelensky’s comments coincide with rising political uncertainty, particularly in the US, where the newly elected President Trump's sudden shift in approach towards Russian President Vladimir Putin has raised eyebrows.

Trump’s increasingly favourable stance toward Russia has been seen as a potential game-changer in US-Ukraine relations.

Trump-Zelensky Oval Office clash

This shift in rhetoric was clearly evident during the dramatic turn of events at the Oval Office where President Trump and Zelenskyy enaged into a heated argument some day back.

Trump accused Zelensky of ingratitude towards the US while the Ukrainian leader pushed for increased diplomatic support against Russia.

Also Read | ‘I’ve never seen anything like…,’ Mike Johnson rips Zelenskyy's conduct towards Trump, claims ‘Putin is the aggressor’

Friedrich Merz, Germany’s likely next leader after the recent election, said Monday that he didn’t think last Friday’s Oval Office blow-up was spontaneous.

He said that he had watched the scene repeatedly. “My assessment is that it wasn’t a spontaneous reaction to interventions by Zelenskyy, but apparently an induced escalation in this meeting in the Oval Office,” Merz said.

Zelensky 'obsessed with war': Russia

After the Oval Office showdown, Russian foreign ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova called Zelensky "obsessed" with prolonging the war and said Moscow's goals remained the "demilitarisation" of Ukraine and annexation of all territories currently occupied by Russia.

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HT News Desk
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