Ukraine's leader has sent a letter to the US president to offer an apology over the White House debacle, Steve Witkoff says

Ukrainian leader Vladimir Zelensky has apologized to US President Donald Trump over the White House scandal, US Special Envoy to the Middle East Steve Witkoff, has said.

The senior official made the remarks on Monday in an interview with Fox News, ahead of a meeting between US and Ukrainian delegations scheduled to take place in Saudi Arabia this week. Washington expects to make "substantial progress" and hopes to ink a critical materials deal with Kiev, Witkoff said.

"Zelensky sent a letter to the president. He apologized for that whole incident that happened in the Oval Office," Witkoff stated. "I think that it was an important step and there's been a lot of discussion between our teams and the Ukrainians and the Europeans who are relevant to this discussion as well."

Trump revealed he received an "important" letter from Zelensky last week, stating Kiev had expressed readiness "to come to the negotiating table as soon as possible." 
The US president, however, did not mention the letter contained an apology over the Oval Office scandal.

Zelensky engaged in a shouting match with Trump and US Vice President JD Vance during a farcical meeting in the White House last month. The US president accused Zelensky of disrespect, ingratitude for past US aid, reluctance to seek peace with Russia, and "gambling with World War III."

Zelensky was asked to leave the White House before closed-door talks started.

The scandal has delayed an expected deal on Ukraine's rare earth minerals, as well as prompting the suspension of US military assistance to Kiev.

While apparently opting to apologize to Trump in private, Zelensky has remained defiant in public, only describing the White House debacle as a "regrettable" gathering that "did not go as planned."

The stance was reiterated by Mikhail Podoliak, a top adviser to the Ukrainian leader, last week.

Zelensky "was absolutely right in form and substance when he tried to convey to our American partners the key idea: nothing will be done without the coercion of Russia," Podoliak told the French magazine Le Point on Friday. "We will not apologize for a supposed mistake that did not take place," he stressed.