President Donald Trump said Tuesday that Ukrainian leader Volodymyr Zelensky had written to him to say he appreciates U.S. support for his country in its war with Russia and is ready to sign a deal that could ensure future American support.

In a speech to Congress following last week's disastrous meeting at the White House, Trump said Zelensky had told him that Ukraine is ready to negotiate a peace deal with Russia as soon as possible and would accept a critical minerals agreement with the U.S. to facilitate that.