Washington: Steve Witkoff, Donald Trump’s special envoy, shed new light Monday on a letter sent from Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy to the American president, saying it contained an apology for an Oval Office blowup that derailed the planned signing of a critical mineral deal between the US and Kyiv. Trump had previously disclosed the letter’s existence during his joint address to Congress last Tuesday, but Witkoff said: “Zelenskyy sent a letter to the president. He apologized for that whole incident that happened in the office. I think that was an important step.”

According to Anadolu Agency, Witkoff stated, “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, and I would like to describe it as progress,” during a Fox News interview. Witkoff expressed hope for a potential deal, noting his remarks came just minutes before he was set to depart the US for a meeting with Ukrainian representatives in Saudi Arabia.

Te
nsions during the February 28 Oval Office meeting escalated after Zelenskyy expressed skepticism about trusting Russian President Vladimir Putin in any negotiations to end the war, citing past agreements that Putin had repeatedly violated prior to launching a full-scale war on Ukraine.

During the meeting, Trump had already dismissed Ukraine’s potential NATO membership, the transatlantic defensive alliance that requires unanimous support for new admissions, and falsely accused Ukraine of initiating Russia’s war. Following the confrontation, Zelenskyy abruptly left the White House, leaving the critical minerals deal unsigned and canceling a planned joint press conference with Trump.