KIEV (Reuters/AP) – Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelensky said on Sunday he was willing to give up his position if it meant peace in Ukraine, quipping that he could exchange his departure for Ukraine’s entry into NATO.
Zelensky also said he wanted to see U.S. President Donald Trump as a partner to Ukraine and more than a simply a mediator between Kiev and Moscow.
“I really want it to be more than just mediation... that’s not enough,” he told a press conference in Kiev.
Earlier, Trump said Ukraine must compensate the U.S. for all the assistance provided to Kiev during its conflict with Moscow. His comments add to the public spat between him and Ukrainian leader Zelensky over the issue of aid and negotiations with Russia.
“Europe has given $100 billion. The United States has given $350 billion because we had a stupid, incompetent president and administration,” he told the audience at the Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC) in Maryland on Saturday.
“I want them to give us something for all of the money that we put up. So, we’re asking for rare earth and oil, anything we can get,” he said, adding, “So, we’re getting our money back. We’re going to get our money back because it’s not fair. It’s just not fair.”
Since February 2022, the U.S. Congress has appropriated $183 billion for Ukraine, including more than $66 billion in security assistance, according to the Pentagon and Ukraine Oversight, the interagency group tasked with presenting reports to Congress. Trump has repeatedly stressed that Kiev and its European backers must provide an account about all the funds and has insisted that Zelensky was on a “gravy train” with American money during the Joe Biden administration.
Zelensky, who stated recently that Ukraine would have a “low chance” without American help, has refused to sign a deal that would have granted U.S. companies 50% ownership of the country’s mineral resources. 
In another development, Britain and France are drafting a plan to deploy up to 30,000 “peacekeepers” in Ukraine, depending on whether Moscow and Kiev reach a ceasefire, The Wall Street Journal reported on Saturday, citing unnamed European officials. 
However, that plan depends on persuading Trump to commit to a limited American military role, the report said. While Washington has ruled out sending its forces to Ukraine, the UK and France hope the U.S. agrees to supply a limited contingent with critical support, particularly when it comes to air defense, logistics, and intelligence.