Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky has called for a truce in the sky and sea in a sudden climb-down from his growing spat with Donald Trump.
The wartime leader today said in a post to X that he was keen to agree on a truce in the sky and sea ‘immediately, if Russia will do the same.’
Following warnings from high-ranking British officials, it is suggested that Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky’s position could be at risk without access to military assistance from the United States.
An unnamed senior official expressed to The Times that Ukraine may only be able to hold out for a few months, or even less, if the support from Washington does not resume.
Zelensky emphasized the desire to avoid a prolonged conflict, stating that Ukraine is willing to engage in negotiations promptly to move closer towards achieving lasting peace, as the Ukrainian people yearn for peace above all else.
‘My team and I stand ready to work under President Trump’s strong leadership to get a peace that lasts.
‘We are 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.
‘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. We are grateful for this.
Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky (pictured) has called for a truce in the sky and sea
Trump (pictured) last night said he was suspending US military aid to Ukraine
‘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. Regarding the agreement on minerals and security, Ukraine is ready to sign it in 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.’
RUSI fellow Samuel Ramani said on X: ‘Zelensky’s new statement showcases Ukraine’s willingness to work with the US on peace and to revive the mineral deal.
‘It weaves in the sea/sky truce proposed by France and still seems to link the mineral deal to security guarantees.’
In an interview with Le Figaro newspaper on Sunday, Macron proposed a month-long truce ‘in the air, at sea and on energy infrastructure’. It would not cover ground fighting along the front line in the east, he said, as ‘it would be very difficult to verify [a truce] along the front was being respected.’
In a separate interview, French Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot said: ‘Such a truce on air, sea and energy infrastructure would allow us to determine whether Russian President Vladimir Putin is acting in good faith when he commits to a truce. And that’s when real peace negotiations could start.’
But French prime minister François Bayrou today said that the US suspending weapons aid to Ukraine in the middle of the war signalled that the US is ‘abandoning’ Ukraine.
Bayrou also said it would allow Russia ‘to win’, adding that it is now Europe’s responsibility to replace American weapon deliveries as ‘quickly and efficiently as possible so that Ukraine does not crack’.
US President Donald Trump and Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelensky meet in the Oval Office of the White House in Washington, DC, February 28
Servicemen of the mobile fire group of the Ukrainian 113th Separate Territorial Defense Brigade return from a combat position in the Volchansk direction, Kharkiv region, Ukraine, on February 22, 2025
Servicemen of the 24th Mechanized Brigade, named after King Danylo, of the Ukrainian Armed Forces fire an M109 Paladin self-propelled howitzer towards Russian troops in a front line near the town of Chasiv Yar in Ukraine February 28, 2025
The Kremlin has not yet responded to the statement.
Zelensky’s statement came after US president Donald Trump announced he was pausing all military aid to Ukraine following a bitter spat in the White House, in which the two world leaders shouted over each other.
The spat capped weeks of escalating tensions between the two leaders, after Trump called his Ukrainian counterpart a ‘dictator’ and Zelensky said the Republican had succumbed to Russian ‘disinformation’.
The major minerals deal, which would see Ukraine hand over rights to vast rare earth minerals to the US, was supposed to be inked in Washington last week before Zelensky was kicked out of the White House after the public row with Trump.
A White House spokesperson said last night: ‘The president has been clear that he is focused on peace. We need our partners to be committed to that goal as well. We are pausing and reviewing our aid to ensure that it is contributing to a solution.’
The Kremlin praised Trump’s move, with government spokesman Dmitry Peskov saying: ‘It is obvious that the United States has been the main supplier of this war so far. If the United States stops being (an arms supplier) or suspends these supplies, it will probably be the best contribution to the cause of peace.’
But it sparked fury in Ukraine, wider Europe and the United States, with critics accusing Trump of appeasement and warning ‘thousands will die’ as a result of the latest ‘shock’ twist in U.S. foreign policy.
This morning, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen proposed a ‘Rearm Europe’ plan that could unlock up to €800billion (£661.59billion) in additional defence spending over the coming years.
The plans, sent to national governments earlier today, would include the ability for EU countries to draw on up to €150billion in loans.
The European Commission leader said today: ‘Europe is ready to massively boost its defense spending, both to respond to the short term urgency to act and to support Ukraine, but also to address the long term need to take on more responsibility for our own European security.’
It is not currently clear how Zelensky’s appeal for a partial truce would affect the Rearm Europe plans.
Ukrainian MP Oleksiy Goncharenko told Sky News the ‘pause’ in aid would create a ‘catastrophic situation’ in Ukraine and ’embolden Putin’, making ‘things worse for everyone’.
The site of an apartment building hit by a Russian drone strike, amid Russia’s attack on Ukraine, in Odesa, Ukraine March 4, 2025
The site of a Russian drone strike, amid Russia’s attack on Ukraine, in Odesa, Ukraine in this handout picture released March 4, 2025
‘I understand we have a crisis in relationships right now after Friday’s meeting in the Oval Office, but I just want to ask Donald Trump to reconsider… maybe just give us some time to get out of this because this is catastrophic for us,’ he said.
Oleksandr Merezhko, head of the Ukrainian parliament’s foreign affairs committee, told the BBC the move ‘came as a shock’ to Ukraine.
‘At the surface it looks like a disastrous decision, especially right now. We are in desperate need of American … support.
‘To suspend military aid to Ukraine it looks like siding with Russia and it’s extremely dangerous.’
He said ‘as far as I know’ the suspension also includes air defence systems, which have been vital in protecting civilians from Russia’s bombardment of population centres.
‘To stop aid now means to help (Russian President Vladimir) Putin,’ he told Reuters.
‘On the surface, this looks really bad. It looks like he is pushing us towards capitulation, meaning (accepting) Russia’s demands.’
He added: ‘This is worse than Munich, because at least there they didn’t try to paint Czechoslovakia as the aggressor, but here they try to accuse the victim of aggression – it is extremely dangerous.’
More to follow.
