Strong signals from Russia it is ready for peace, Ukraine ready to come to negotiating table: Trump

New York/Washington: US President Donald Trump said he has received "strong signals" from Russia that it is ready for peace and that Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has written to him saying his country is ready to come to the negotiating table and also sign an agreement on minerals and security.

Trump made these remarks Tuesday night in an address to the Joint Session of Congress, the first of his second term in the White House.

"I’m also working tirelessly to end the savage conflict in Ukraine. Millions of Ukrainians and Russians have been needlessly killed or wounded in this horrific and brutal conflict with no end in sight,” Trump said.

He told Congress that on Tuesday, he received an “important letter" from Zelenskyy, in which he said that “Ukraine is ready to come to the negotiating table as soon as possible to bring lasting peace closer. Nobody wants peace more than the Ukrainians,” Zelenskyy wrote in the letter, Trump said.

Trump said that Zelenskyy went on to write in the letter that his team and him “stand ready to work under President Trump’s strong leadership to get a peace that lasts. We do really value how much America has done to help Ukraine, maintain its sovereignty and independence. Regarding the agreement on minerals and security, Ukraine is ready to sign it at any time that is convenient for you.” Trump said he appreciates the letter and added that “simultaneously we’ve had serious discussions with Russia and I’ve received strong signals that they are ready for peace. Wouldn’t that be beautiful? Wouldn’t that be beautiful?” he said amid applause.

"... 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.

In a post on X, hours before Trump’s address to Congress, Zelenskyy said Ukraine is “ready to work fast to end the war, and the first stages could be the release of prisoners and 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. Then we want to move very fast through all next stages and to work with the US to agree a strong final deal.” Zelenskyy said that Ukraine really does 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. We are grateful for this." In the post, Zelenskyy also referred to the disastrous meeting between him and Trump in the Oval Office last week and said “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.”

Trump said that the United States has sent hundreds of billions of dollars to support Ukraine’s defence with no security, with no anything and asked lawmakers if they want to keep it going for another five years.

Trump said that more than 2,000 people are being killed every single week in the conflict that is now in its third year.

"They are Russian young people, they’re Ukrainian young people. They’re not Americans, but I want it to stop," Trump said.

Trump added that meanwhile, Europe has sadly spent more money buying Russian oil and gas than they’ve spent on defending Ukraine, by far.

“Think of that. They’ve spent more buying Russian oil and gas than they have defending. We’ve spent perhaps $350 billion, like taking candy from a baby. That’s what happened. And they’ve spent $100 billion. What a difference that is. And we have an ocean separating us, and they don't. But we’re getting along very well with them and lots of good things are happening," he said.

"Biden has authorised more money in this fight than Europe has spent by billions and billions of dollars. It’s hard to believe that they wouldn’t have stopped it and said at some point. Come on, let’s equalise. You’ve got to be equal to us. That didn’t happen," he said.

A day before Zelenskyy wrote to Trump about Ukraine being ready to come to the negotiating table, the US President had temporarily suspended, with immediate effect, the delivery of all American military aid to Ukraine.

A report in The New York Times had quoted a senior administration official as saying that Trump had temporarily suspended the delivery of all US military aid to Ukraine and that the order takes effect immediately, affecting "more than $1 billion in arms and ammunition in the pipeline and on order.”

This setback for Ukraine had come just days after Trump and Vice President J D Vance had a heated verbal exchange in the Oval Office with Zelenskyy, who was visiting the White House last Friday, and the two countries were all set to sign a rare mineral deal. But talks between Trump and Zelenskyy unravelled in a stunning exchange that played out in front of the global media.

Vance told the Ukrainian leader, "I think it's disrespectful for you to come to the Oval Office to try to litigate this in front of the American media... you should be thanking the president for trying to bring you into this conference.”      

As the conversation grew heated, Trump said to Zelenskyy “You're gambling with the lives of millions of people. You're gambling with World War Three. You're gambling with World War Three, and what you're doing is very disrespectful to the country, this country that's backed you far more than a lot of people say they should.” Trump and Vance also criticised Zelenskyy for not being grateful enough for the support that the US had given so far to Ukraine in its war with Russia.