Kyiv, Ukraine: Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky on Tuesday expressed his willingness to "make things right" with former US President Donald Trump and work under his "strong leadership" to secure a lasting peace in Ukraine.

In his first public comments since Trump halted US military aid to Ukraine overnight, Zelensky proposed a truce in the sea and sky as an initial step towards ending the three-year-long war.

"Ukraine is ready to come to the negotiating table as soon as possible to bring lasting peace closer. 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," Zelensky stated in a post on X.

He also said Ukraine was prepared to agree to a "truce in the sky—ban on missiles, long-ranged drones, bombs on energy and other civilian infrastructure—and truce in the sea immediately, if Russia will do the same."

Clash with Trump and JD Vance
The Ukrainian leader’s remarks follow a tense exchange with Trump and US Vice-President JD Vance in the Oval Office on Friday. The dispute capped weeks of escalating tensions, with Trump labelling Zelensky a "dictator" and Zelensky accusing the Republican of succumbing to Russian "disinformation".

"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," Zelensky wrote on X.

US access to Ukrainian resources
Zelensky also reiterated Kyiv’s readiness to sign a deal granting the US preferential access to Ukraine’s natural resources and minerals "at any time and in any convenient format." The agreement was originally expected to be finalised in Washington last week but was derailed after Zelensky was expelled from the White House following his public confrontation with Trump.

With AFP inputs