Rep. Jared Golden (D-ME) suggested that Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky could “strengthen his hand” in negotiations with Russia regarding a peace deal by calling for and winning “a new election.”
In a press release issued Tuesday, Golden highlighted how “Ukrainians have fought bravely against Russian aggression,” while adding that a long war “of attrition is likely to make” Ukraine’s outcome worse.
Golden noted that “if peace” really was on the table, like Zelensky had indicated in a post on X — reiterating “Ukraine’s commitment to peace,” then Zelensky “should do what it takes to strengthen his hand in negotiating a deal his people can accept.” In doing so, it would “show the world he has the mandate to negotiate on behalf” of Ukraine.
“If the Ukrainians still have the will to fight, no one will be able to force a peace deal on them that they don’t like,” Golden said in his statement. “But if peace is on the table, as President Zelenskyy indicated just today, then he should do what it takes to strengthen his hand in negotiating a deal his people can accept. One way to do that is to call and win a new election — to show the world he has the mandate to negotiate on behalf of his people.”
Golden’s press release comes after Zelensky issued a statement on X that Ukraine was “ready to come to the negotiating table,” adding that the Ukrainian government was “ready to work fast to end the war.”
“I would like to reiterate Ukraine’s commitment to peace,” Zelensky wrote. “None of us wants an endless war. Ukraine is ready to come to the negotiating table as soon as possible to bring lasting peace closer. Nobody wants peace more than Ukrainians.”
Zelensky added that he and his team were “ready to work under” President Donald Trump’s “strong leadership to get a peace that lasts.”
The statement from Zelensky continued:
Our meeting in Washington, at the White House on Friday, did not go the way it was supposed to be. It is regrettable that it happened this way. It is time to make things right. We would like future cooperation and communication to be constructive.
Regarding the agreement on minerals and security, Ukraine is ready to sign it any time and in any convenient format. We see this agreement as a step toward greater security and solid security guarantees, and I truly hope it will work effectively.
Zelensky’s statement comes after he met with Trump, Vice President JD Vance, and Secretary of State Marco Rubio in the Oval Office on Friday.
After about 40 minutes of conversation, Zelensky and Vance had a back-and-forth discussion about diplomacy, with Zelensky attempting to dismiss Vance’s idea of diplomacy. Vance went on to inform Zelensky had it was “disrespectful” of Zelensky to “come into the Oval Office to try to litigate this in front of the American media.”
Zelensky went on to dispute Vance’s claim that Ukraine was having conscription “problems,” stating that during war, “everybody has problems,” and added even the United States would “feel it in the future.” This led to Trump jumping in and telling Zelensky not to tell them what they would “feel.”
“We’re trying to solve a problem, don’t tell us what we’re going to feel because you’re in no position to dictate that. You’re in no position to dictate what we’re going to feel,” Trump told Zelensky.
Trump also interjected when Zelensky attempted to claim that Ukraine had “been alone” in the war against Russia.
“You haven’t been alone,” Trump said. “We gave you, through [our] stupid president, $350 billion. We gave you military equipment. … If you didn’t have our military equipment, this war would’ve been over in two weeks.”
After the meeting, Zelensky was asked to leave the White House, and left without signing an expected minerals deal.
As Breitbart News’s Kristina Wong previously reported, the minerals deal would have given U.S. “access to critical minerals in Ukraine in exchange for economic and possibly military aid.”
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