Mr. Trump received an important letter from Mr. Zelensky.

US President Donald Trump said he received a letter from his Ukrainian counterpart Volodymyr Zelensky, before speaking at the US Congress.

“Earlier today, I received an important letter from President Zelensky of Ukraine stating that Ukraine is ready to sit down for negotiations as soon as possible to achieve lasting peace. No one wants peace more than the people of Ukraine,” Trump said in a speech to the US Congress, Reuters reported.

Donald Trump added that his Ukrainian counterpart expressed his appreciation for the US’s support for Ukraine during the years of conflict. In addition, the Ukrainian leader expressed Kyiv’s readiness to sign the mineral agreement when the US sees fit.

Mr. Zelensky said he was grateful to the US, proposed an immediate ceasefire in the air and at sea.

Referring to the situation in Ukraine in his speech to the US Congress on March 4, Mr. Trump said that he was working tirelessly to end the brutal conflict in Ukraine. "Millions of Ukrainians and Russians have died or been needlessly wounded in a conflict with no end in sight," The Guardian quoted Mr. Trump as saying.

Also in his speech, Mr. Trump hinted that Russian President Vladimir Putin felt he could launch an operation in Ukraine partly because of the way the administration of former US President Joe Biden handled the withdrawal of troops from Afghanistan in 2021.

US President Donald Trump (right) met with his Ukrainian counterpart Volodymyr Zelensky on February 28.

The US president also said that Europe spent more money on oil and gas from Russia than it spent on Ukraine's defense. "We spend about $350 billion and Europe spends $100 billion (on Ukraine), while we are separated by an ocean and they are not," the US leader said.

However, NBC News cited an analysis from the Kiel Institute (based in Germany) showing that Washington has mobilized about $114 billion in aid for Ukraine, while the figure for European countries is $132 billion. Mr. Trump was right when he said that Europe spends more on buying Russian oil and gas than supporting Ukraine.

President Zelensky said on March 4 that the argument with the US leader last week was "regrettable", stressing that it was time to do the right thing and would work with Mr. Trump to bring lasting peace. Washington had previously announced a temporary suspension of military aid to Ukraine.

Information about Mr. Zelensky's letter and the situation in Ukraine were among the final contents of Mr. Trump's speech on March 4. This was also the longest speech by a president before the US Congress, when Mr. Trump spoke for about 1 hour and 40 minutes, surpassing the speech of former President Bill Clinton in 2000 (1 hour and 28 minutes).

Source: https://thanhnien.vn/ong-trump-da-nhan-thu-quan-trong-tu-ong-zelensky-185250305111009209.htm