Zelensky's latest move shows contrition after Trump battle in Oval Office

The eyes of the world turned to the White House when Ukraine's top political figure got into a verbal spat with President Donald Trump and Vice President JD Vance.

The visiting diplomat was eventually asked to leave the White House, and tensions grew for Ukraine, who is in the midst of a conflict, largely funded with US tax dollars, as The New York Post reported.

Since that time, however, things seem to have cooled significantly. Steve Witkoff, Trump's special envoy, stated that Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky issued an apology to Trump in a letter.

From the White House

“Zelensky sent a letter to the president. He apologized for that whole incident that happened in the Oval Office,” Witkoff said Monday on Fox News’s “America’s Newsroom.”

“I think that it was an important step and there’s been a lot of discussion between our teams and the Ukrainians and the Europeans who are relevant to this discussion as well,” he added.

U.S. and Ukrainian officials are set to meet in Saudi Arabia this week to pick back up on peace negotiations to end the war with Russia.

About The Letter

Witkoff believed that Zelensky's decision to send Trump a letter of apology for the heated encounter was a positive development.

In his joint address to Congress, Trump disclosed that he had received a letter from Zelensky in an effort to reconcile the two nations.

Trump expressed his gratitude for the letter, which was received mere days after the United States discontinued military aid to Ukraine.

Leading Up to The Meeting

The Ukrainian leader called the contentious meeting between himself and Trump as a "regrettable" shortly after it occurred, but he refrained from issuing an apology at the time.

Zelensky, however, indicated that Ukraine was still prepared to engage in negotiations following the meeting, during which the United States and Ukraine were expected to reach a minerals agreement.

Witkoff emphasized the significance of the officials engaging in a conversation regarding security protocols for Ukrainians, territorial concerns, and a utility plan.

“These are not complicated things, they just … need to be put on the table and everybody needs to be transparent about what their expectations are, then we can begin to have a discussion about how we compromise,” he said.