President Trump and his VP just had a tense meeting with the Ukrainian President. It did not end well.
But now the Ukrainian President has begged Trump for mercy in an eyebrow-raising announcement.
Zelenskyy’s Shift: Embracing Trump and Vance’s Vision for Peace in Ukraine
In a stunning turn of events, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has dramatically altered his stance on peace negotiations with Russia, signaling a newfound alignment with the perspectives of U.S. President Donald Trump and Vice President J.D. Vance. The shift, which unfolded just hours after Trump terminated military aid to Ukraine on Monday, March 3, 2025, suggests that Zelenskyy has come to recognize the wisdom in Trump’s hardline approach—a realization that may reshape the trajectory of the ongoing war with Russia.
The pivot was made public in a lengthy statement Zelenskyy posted to X on Tuesday, March 4, where he outlined potential first steps toward peace, including prisoner exchanges and a cessation of air and naval operations. This marked a stark departure from his position a day earlier, when he had grimly asserted that an end to the conflict was “very, very far away.” That comment, delivered on Monday, prompted an immediate and decisive response from Trump, who halted all military aid to Ukraine that evening and took to Truth Social to criticize Zelenskyy’s outlook. Trump’s move underscored his belief that continued U.S. support hinges on Ukraine’s willingness to pursue a resolution—a belief Zelenskyy now appears to embrace.
“None of us wants an endless war,” Zelenskyy wrote on X, signaling his capitulation to Trump’s insistence on proactive peace efforts. “My team and I stand ready to work under President Trump’s strong leadership to get a peace that lasts.” The Ukrainian leader’s words reflect a clear acknowledgment that Trump’s strategy—tying aid to tangible progress toward negotiations—offers a pragmatic path forward, one that Zelenskyy had previously resisted.
This shift comes on the heels of a tense encounter between the two leaders at the White House on Friday, February 28. Zelenskyy had arrived in Washington to finalize a mineral deal that would open Ukraine’s mining sector to U.S. investment, a move seen as a precursor to a broader U.S.-brokered ceasefire.
However, the meeting quickly soured. Zelenskyy’s remarks during the visit—including a suggestion that the U.S. might one day “feel” the consequences of war—were perceived by Trump and Vance as ungrateful and provocative, especially given the $170 billion the U.S. has poured into Ukraine’s defense since the war began three years ago. The Ukrainian president was asked to leave without signing the deal, a rebuke that appears to have spurred his rapid reassessment.
Reflecting on the misstep, Zelenskyy expressed regret in his Tuesday statement. “We do really value how much America has done to help Ukraine maintain its sovereignty and independence. And we remember the moment when things changed when President Trump provided Ukraine with Javelins,” he wrote, referencing the anti-tank weapons Trump authorized in 2017—a decision that bolstered Ukraine’s early resistance against Russia.
“We are grateful for this. Our meeting in Washington, at the White House on Friday, did not go the way it was supposed to be. It is regrettable that it happened this way. It is time to make things right. We would like future cooperation and communication to be constructive.”
Zelenskyy’s mea culpa extends beyond words. In a clear olive branch to Trump, he declared his readiness to sign the mineral deal “at any time and in any convenient format.” “We see this agreement as a step toward greater security and solid security guarantees, and I truly hope it will work effectively,” he added. While the deal’s final version lacks explicit U.S. security commitments, Zelenskyy’s willingness to proceed suggests he now views Trump’s economic leverage as a viable alternative to prolonged military support—a perspective Vance has long championed.
Trump’s influence in this saga is unmistakable. His decision to pull aid echoed his broader foreign policy playbook, exemplified by his earlier use of tariff threats to extract concessions from Mexico and Canada on issues like the fentanyl crisis. In Zelenskyy’s case, Trump argued on Truth Social that the Ukrainian leader was “not ready for peace” because U.S. involvement gave him an outsized “big advantage in negotiations.” By cutting aid, Trump forced Zelenskyy to confront the limits of that advantage, a gamble that now appears to have paid off.
For Zelenskyy, the realization that Trump and Vance were right seems to have crystallized in the wake of Friday’s fallout. Their insistence that Ukraine must prioritize peace over perpetual conflict—and that U.S. support is not a blank check—has evidently resonated. While Zelenskyy once saw negotiations as a distant prospect, he now frames them as an urgent necessity, aligning himself with Trump’s vision of a swift, decisive resolution.
Zelenskyy’s embrace of Trump’s leadership could mark a turning point in the war. Whether it leads to lasting peace remains uncertain, but one thing is clear: the Ukrainian president has wagered that siding with Trump and Vance offers the best hope for his nation’s future. Only time will tell if this bold recalibration proves as prescient as it is pragmatic.
The Federalist Wire will keep you updated on any major news from the Ukraine-Russia war front.
