Trump Reacts to Zelenskyy’s Letter During Lengthy Speech in Congress | US News

Donald Trump has expressed his “appreciation” for President Zelenskyy’s renewed commitment to collaborate on a peace agreement, noting that Russia has indicated “strong signals” of its readiness for a ceasefire.

The US president made these remarks during a lengthy address to Congress, where he touted his accomplishments thus far and outlined his future priorities.

“In just 43 days, we have achieved more than most administrations do in 4 or even 8 years – and we are just getting started,” the president proclaimed.

However, in the deeply divided Congress, Democrats responded with stern expressions, displaying placards denouncing “lies,” and even saw one member ejected.

Mr. Trump noted he had received an “important letter” from the Ukrainian leader, indicating his willingness to collaborate under Trump’s leadership to secure a peace deal.

Latest from Trump – ‘We’re just getting started’

The quotes he read were consistent with a message from Mr. Zelenskyy earlier on Tuesday, in which he expressed regret for last week’s controversy and announced his readiness to sign a minerals pact.

“The letter states that Ukraine is prepared to negotiate as soon as possible to bring about lasting peace,” Trump conveyed.

“I am grateful he sent this letter, and I just received it a little while ago,” he added.

The president informed a packed chamber that Moscow had also shown signs of being ready for peace.

He stated: “Simultaneously, we’ve engaged in serious dialogues with Russia, and received strong signals indicating their readiness for peace. Wouldn’t that be wonderful?”

Longest speech

However, a significant portion of Mr. Trump’s address in the Capitol focused on domestic matters.

At one hour and 39 minutes, this was the longest annual address a president has delivered to Congress, surpassing Bill Clinton’s previous record of one hour and 28 minutes.

Mr. Trump praised his nascent second term in the White House, claiming to have taken “unrelenting action” that already exceeds the accomplishments of some administrations over several years.

The president began his speech by declaring “America is back!” which elicited enthusiastic chants of “USA”.

He stated “the American Dream is thriving – bigger and better than ever.”

Nevertheless, his assertions faced jeers from Democrats, and the House Speaker requested the sergeant-at-arms to remove Representative Al Green for refusing to be quiet. Mr. Green had interrupted by standing up and shouting at the president, using his cane to gesture toward him.

Other Democrats waved paddles displaying statements like “false” and “Musk steals.” Some donned blue and yellow in support of Ukraine.

With Vice President JD Vance sitting behind him, Mr. Trump recited a list of actions he’d taken since the start of his second term in January.

Among various issues, he mentioned rolling back the Paris climate accords, abolishing “the tyranny” of diversity policies, exiting the World Health Organization, and rebranding the ‘Gulf of America.’

“Our nation shall no longer be woke,” he asserted.

He also highlighted Elon Musk’s efficiency initiative with DOGE, which has controversially led to thousands of job cuts.

President Trump claimed that Musk’s efforts were saving the government billions by eliminating waste and fraud.

Mr. Musk was present, noticeably in a suit, and acknowledged the applause from the Republican audience.

“Thank you very much, we appreciate it,” Trump remarked toward him.

The president also reiterated his commitment to tariffs afterrecent measures targeting Canada, China, and Mexico took effect.

He declared that the US had been “ripped off for decades” by other nations and asserted that tariffs are also meant to “protect the essence of our nation.”

Previously, the president claimed these tariffs are a response to the three countries failing to adequately stop the influx of dangerous substances such as fentanyl.

In response, the Chinese US embassy ominously tweeted, “If war is what the US wants, be it a tariff war, a trade war or any other type of war, we will be prepared to fight to the end.”

Moreover, the president committed to “making America affordable again,” stating that President Biden has not done enough to reign in inflation.

“Joe Biden has particularly allowed egg prices to skyrocket – and we are diligently working to lower them. A significant part of our inflation-fighting strategy involves quickly decreasing energy costs,” he commented.

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Illegal immigration also featured prominently in his record-breaking speech.

The president reiterated his familiar promise to tighten controls on southern border crossings and to reverse what he deemed “insane open-border policies.”

In response to loud applause, he highlighted that he had designated some South American gangs as “terrorist” organizations.

Greenland and the Panama Canal also came up in his remarks.

The president mentioned that America intends to reclaim the prominent shipping route, which was turned over in 1999, and reiterated his goal to secure ownership of the vast territory of Denmark.

Speaking directly to Greenlanders, he remarked: “We strongly endorse your right to determine your own future, and if you choose, we invite you to join the United States of America.”

“We require Greenland for both national and international security,” he emphasized. “We are engaging with all parties to pursue this and I believe we shall achieve it, one way or the other.”

First Lady Melania Trump was present in the gallery, along with guests including the family of a firefighter whose assassination attempt occurred last summer, and a man recently released from a Russian prison.

A particularly touching moment occurred when a child recovering from brain cancer was invited to stand. In a police uniform, 13-year-old DJ Daniel was lifted joyfully by his father as President Trump declared: “I ask our new Secret Service director, Sean Curran, to officially make you an agent of the United States Secret Service. Thank you, DJ.”