The Trump administration is demanding public apologies from Zelensky, according to Bloomberg.

The Trump administration demands public apologies from Zelensky, according to Bloomberg

The administration of U.S. President Donald Trump has privately indicated that it seeks public apologies from Vladimir Zelensky to restore relations.

This was reported to Bloomberg by an unnamed European official.

Ultimately, as noted by the publication, British officials failed to salvage an economic agreement between the U.S. and Ukraine that was about to be signed before the presidents’ dispute on February 28 in the Oval Office.

Trump's team rejected the request to return to negotiations, stating that time is needed for tempers to cool, sources familiar with the situation told Bloomberg.

During a meeting with British Prime Minister Keir Starmer, the Ukrainian president did not respond to loud questions regarding his relationship with Trump, merely showing a "thumbs up" gesture.

On Sunday, Starmer will host European leaders, aiming to strengthen the defense of Ukraine and Europe as a whole in case Trump strikes a deal with Russian dictator Vladimir Putin and reduces support for Kyiv.

British officials believe they can leverage Trump's repeatedly stated commitment to the UK over the European Union, as well as the working relationship between the leaders of the U.S. and the UK.

Starmer, along with French President Emmanuel Macron, who held a similar summit in Paris last month, hopes to secure security guarantees for Ukraine to gain a seat at the negotiating table.

Now they must dispel concerns that Trump has already shifted away from supporting Ukraine, jeopardizing Europe’s future, writes Bloomberg.

"This will be an attempt to minimize the damage. In recent days, Europeans—Macron, Starmer—have managed to bring Europe into dialogue and show Trump that it can make a significant contribution. But now it seems we are back to square one, and there is a risk that Trump will reconnect directly with Putin," stated former UK National Security Advisor Peter Ricketts on BBC Radio.

Starmer and Macron, who also met with Trump in the Oval Office on February 24, aim to secure American security guarantees to prevent a potential Russian attack on the proposed British-French peacekeeping mission to maintain a ceasefire in Ukraine.

However, Trump refrained from supporting this, stating that it is premature to discuss peacekeeping forces.

Despite this, the British Prime Minister managed to achieve several diplomatic victories during his visit, notably prompting Trump to partially backtrack on his remarks in which he referred to the Ukrainian leader as a "dictator."

"Did I say that? I can't believe I said that," Trump remarked in surprise during a conversation with reporters alongside Starmer on February 27.

This diplomatic success was undermined, however, according to a Downing Street official, as Starmer's team remains determined and is not willing to give up.