Donald Trump's special envoy claimed on Monday that Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy apologised to the former by sending a letter just days after a heated confrontation between the two leaders in the Oval Office. Steve Witkoff described Zelenskyy's gesture as a sign of “progress" as the US President works toward brokering a truce between Ukraine and Russia.

“Zelenskyy sent a letter to the President. He apologised for that whole incident that happened in the Oval Office. 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," Witkoff said to Fox News.

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During his joint address to Congress, Trump mentioned receiving a letter from President Zelenskyy. He expressed appreciation for the Ukrainian leader's apology, which followed the suspension of US military aid to the war-torn nation.

Zelenskyy described the confrontation as "regrettable" and expressed his willingness to collaborate with the US to establish peace. He also confirmed his readiness to sign the mineral agreement.

Meanwhile, US and Ukrainian representatives are scheduled to meet in Saudi Arabia later this week to resume peace talks aimed at ending the conflict with Russia. According to a Ukrainian official, Kyiv is expected to propose a ceasefire for aerial and naval operations with Russia during these discussions with US officials, AFP reported quoting a Ukrainian official. 

During his visit to the US to sign a mineral deal, Ukrainian President Zelenskyy and former President Donald Trump engaged in a heated verbal exchange. Zelenskyy criticised the US for failing to prevent Russia's aggressive actions, while Trump responded, arguing that had Washington not provided military and financial aid to Kyiv, the war with Russia would have ended in just two weeks.

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Vice President JD Vance also reprimanded Zelenskyy for not expressing enough gratitude toward the United States.