The surprise move comes just a day after reports of the US stopping all military aid to Ukraine, which is believed to be aimed at pressuring Kiev into accepting negotiations.
In a post on social media X on March 4, Mr. Zelensky admitted that the public confrontation with President Donald Trump during the meeting at the Oval Office was "unfortunate". "We are ready to work quickly to end the conflict," he wrote.
This is a significant change from his previous stance, when he had declared that Ukraine would fight to the end and only negotiate on Kiev's terms.
Mr Zelensky proposed exchanging prisoners and establishing a " ceasefire" in the air and at sea, suggested by British Prime Minister Keir Starmer and French President Emmanuel Macron at a meeting in London on March 2.
The UK-France plan calls for a 1-month "temporary ceasefire," including in the air, at sea and in energy infrastructure. However, Moscow has repeatedly rejected the proposal for a temporary ceasefire, asserting that it would only accept a long-term peace agreement that would be legally binding.
On March 3, President Donald Trump ordered a temporary halt to all military aid to Ukraine, with the aim of pressuring Mr. Zelensky to negotiate an end to the conflict with Russia. A senior US administration official told Fox News that military aid will not be resumed until Kiev shows a true commitment to the peace process.
In a post on X, President Zelensky expressed his gratitude for Washington's support and stressed: "Ukraine is ready to sit at the table for negotiations as soon as possible to get closer to long-term peace."
He also affirmed his desire to work under " strong leadership of President Trump to achieve sustainable peace".
Responding to President Zelensky's statement, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said: "Readiness is good, that is a positive signal."
Previously, at a meeting at the White House on February 28, Mr. Trump criticized Mr. Zelensky and warned that Kiev was "betting on World War III" by refusing to move towards ending the war.
On March 2, Mr Zelensky told the press that "an agreement to end the conflict is still far away, and no steps have been taken."
President Trump later responded harshly on social media, stating that "the United States will not accept this situation for much longer."
Russian President Vladimir Putin has previously expressed his readiness to resolve the Ukrainian conflict through peaceful means, emphasizing the importance of building a balanced and long-term international security system.
In addition to the peace issue, Mr. Zelensky also said he was ready to quickly complete the mineral exploitation agreement with the US, considering this an important step to ensure "solid security and real guarantees".
However, Trump has refused to make any security commitments, such as admitting Ukraine to NATO or deploying US troops in a future peacekeeping mission. He also said that Ukraine's ambition to join NATO was "the main cause of this conflict."
Mr Trump's stance has received a positive response from Moscow. Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov called Mr. Trump "the first and only Western leader" to publicly point out that NATO expansion and Ukraine's ambition to join NATO are one of the core causes of the current conflict.
