Trump signals conciliation with Kyiv as he reads letter from Zelensky to Congress

US President Donald Trump read aloud excerpts from a letter he received from Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky during an address to Congress on Tuesday, signalling a potential rapprochement with Kyiv could be on the cards just a day after he halted all US military aid to Ukraine.

Quoting from the letter, Trump said Zelensky had reiterated his gratitude to the US for its support for Ukraine since Russia launched its invasion three years ago and that he had said Ukraine was “ready to come to the negotiating table as soon as possible”.

“Nobody wants peace more than Ukrainians. My team and I stand ready to work under President Trump’s strong leadership to get a peace that lasts”, Trump quoted Zelensky as saying.

Trump said he “appreciated” the letter, the full text of which appeared to have been posted by Zelensky on X earlier on Tuesday. In it, the Ukrainian president reiterated Kyiv’s commitment to ending the war and to signing a long-awaited minerals deal between Ukraine and the US at “any time and in any convenient format”.

Trump also claimed he had received “strong signals” that Russia was ready for peace during “serious” discussions between Washington and Moscow. “It’s time to stop this madness. It’s time to halt the killing. It’s time to end the senseless war. If you want to end wars, you have to talk to both sides,” Trump said.

He made no mention, however, of his decision to withhold all military aid to Ukraine, though US Vice President J.D. Vance said earlier on Tuesday that that support for Kyiv could be restored if Zelensky were to “come to the table and start negotiating”.

Vance also denied accusations that the Trump administration was being hard on Ukraine without placing similar pressure on Russia to enter talks, claiming that the Russian economy was “struggling” as a result of sanctions imposed by the US and that Trump believed in “applying pressure to everybody” to bring all sides to the negotiating table.