US President Donald Trump said Tuesday he had received an "important letter" from his Ukrainian counterpart Volodymyr Zelensky, expressing his willingness to resume peace talks and sign a minerals deal.
In what was his first speech to Congress since returning to power, Donald Trump adopted a more conciliatory tone after his controversial meeting with Zelensky last Friday in Washington.
Trump said he received an "important letter" from Zelensky on Tuesday, quoting its contents: "My team and I stand ready to work under the strong leadership of President Trump to achieve lasting peace."
"We truly appreciate the lengths America has gone to in helping Ukraine maintain its sovereignty and independence. With respect to the Minerals and Security Agreement, Ukraine stands ready to sign at any convenient time," Trump read.
However, the content of Zelensky's alleged letter is the same as what the Ukrainian leader wrote hours earlier in a post on his social media.
Trump also said he was grateful for the letter, adding that "at the same time, I have had serious discussions with Russia and received strong signals that Moscow is ready for peace."
Trump and Zelensky were set to sign a deal to explore Ukraine's natural resources last Friday, but the deal was halted after a tense confrontation between the two leaders in the Oval Office of the White House.
The topic of Ukraine came up just 90 minutes into Trump's speech.
In his speech, Donald Trump also suggested that Russian President Vladimir Putin felt empowered to invade Ukraine because of the way the Joe Biden administration handled the US withdrawal from Afghanistan.
Trump harshly criticized his predecessor's chaotic withdrawal from Afghanistan in August 2021, an episode that resulted in the deaths of 13 US soldiers.
"When Putin saw what happened, I think he said, 'Well, maybe this is my chance,' because it was so bad. It should never have happened. Grossly incompetent people," Trump criticized, referring to Joe Biden's administration.
"If you want to end wars, you have to talk to both sides," the Republican tycoon also argued, defending his rapprochement with Moscow.
Trump surprised Kiev and European allies by recently announcing a roughly 90-minute telephone conversation with Vladimir Putin, ultimately shaking Western unity and Moscow's strategy of isolation.
In recent days, Trump has held talks with Russia and Ukraine, but has refused to offer Kiev a security commitment and has taken away several options for negotiating a peace agreement from Ukraine, excluding, for example, Kiev's integration into NATO.
Trump spoke before Congress on Tuesday, just hours after announcing the immediate suspension of aid to Ukraine.
The speech was accompanied by several protests from Democrats, with some wearing yellow and blue -- the colors of the Ukrainian flag -- to show support for the country after Trump's controversial stance toward Zelensky.
After speaking for about an hour and 40 minutes, Trump now holds the record for the longest first speech to a joint session of Congress or State of the Union address, according to CNN.
Trump spoke longer than any other President, even surpassing the times recorded in his first term.
However, part of the Congressional gallery was empty when Trump finished his speech, as Democrats left the room before the head of state concluded his remarks.
