Monday, March 3 | By Jonathan Easley

©  Greg Nash

UKRAINIAN PRESIDENT VOLODYMYR ZELENSKY is making overtures to President Trump as he seeks to repair U.S.-Ukraine relations after last week’s Oval Office scuffle.

Zelensky on Monday morning expressed gratitude for U.S. support in the war against Russia, after Trump and Vice President Vance accused him of flaunting U.S. aid.

“We understand the importance of America, and we are grateful for all the support we have received from the United States,” Zelensky posted on a government website. “There hasn't been a single day when we haven't felt grateful.”

Zelensky told the BBC he's still “ready to sign” a mineral rights deal with the U.S., which Trump says would act as a deterrent to future Russian aggression. The deal was expected to be signed on Friday, but it was scotched after the fracas at the White House.

Trump said Monday that a deal is still possible but that he wants Zelensky to be more "appreciative" of U.S. support.

"This country has stuck with them through thick and thin,” Trump told reporters. “We’ve given them much more than Europe, and Europe should have given more than us because as you know that’s right there."

Zelensky acknowledged over the weekend that a peace deal “would be difficult without U.S. support.”

However, Trump on Monday took issue with Zelensky’s remarks that a deal to end the war is “is still very, very far away.”

“This is the worst statement that could have been made by Zelenskyy, and America will not put up with it for much longer!” Trump posted on TruthSocial. “It is what I was saying, this guy doesn’t want there to be Peace as long as he has America’s backing and, Europe, in the meeting they had with Zelenskyy, stated flatly that they cannot do the job without the U.S. – Probably not a great statement to have been made in terms of a show of strength against Russia. What are they thinking?”

Secretary of State Marco Rubio called on Zelensky to apologize "for turning this thing into the fiasco for him that it became." The Ukrainian leader steadfastly refused to apologize during a Fox News interview hours earlier.

Vance, who also publicly clashed with Zelensky, will appear for an interview tonight on Fox News Channel’s “Hannity.”

European leaders rallied behind Zelensky after the White House debacle, with Britain hosting a summit to signal a united front and to plot the way forward.

British Prime Minister Keir Starmer and French President Emmanuel Macron — both of whom visited with Trump at the White House last week — proposed the framework for a ceasefire deal they intend to present to Trump.

“In the near future, all of us in Europe will shape our common positions – the lines we must achieve and the lines we cannot compromise on,” Zelensky said. “These positions will be presented to our partners in the United States.”

The Kremlin exulted in the chaos, providing fodder for Trump’s critics who say he’s too soft on Russian President Vladimir Putin.

“The [Trump] administration is rapidly changing all foreign policy configurations,” Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov said, according to Russian state media. “This largely aligns with our vision."

"[Zelesnky] does not want peace," Peskov added. "Someone should make Zelensky want peace."

Over the weekend, Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) warned that Putin is “dangerous” and “not to be trusted.” He called it “absurd” to say the GOP supports Putin.

However, Johnson also said Zelensky is being unrealistic and standing in the way of progress.

“You have two parties who, to this point, have not shown any interest, apparently, in getting to peace,” he told NBC’s "Meet the Press." “What President Zelensky did in the White House was effectively signal to us that he’s not ready for that yet, and I think that’s a grave disappointment.”

GOP lawmakers, such as Sen. Mike Rounds (S.D.), are frustrated by the spat and calling on Russia and Ukraine “to find a middle ground to get to a ceasefire to stop the killing.”

Republicans are eager to not be seen as taking Putin’s side.

“Putin routinely throws people who disagree with him out of windows or blows up the planes they are in,” Sen. Bill Cassidy (R-La.) posted on X. “He has not just invaded Ukraine. He is killing anyone who disagrees with him.”