WASHINGTON: United States President Donald Trump’s special envoy Steve Witkoff said on Tuesday that Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky apologised to Trump in a letter after an explosive public argument during an Oval Office meeting.

“Zelensky sent a letter to the president. He apologised for that whole incident that happened in the Oval Office,” Witkoff said on Fox News. “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.”

He highlighted the significance of the Ukrainian president’s letter to his US counterpart, describing it as a sign of “progress”.Last week, US House of Representatives Speaker Mike Johnson, said that Zelensky “needs to come to his senses and come back to the table in gratitude or someone else needs to lead the country” for Ukraine to continue pursuing a peace deal negotiated by the US, NBC News reported.

However, in his recent joint address to Congress, Trump noted receiving a letter from Zelensky, seeking to mend relations just days after the US suspended military assistance to Ukraine.Witkoff said it’s important for the officials to discuss security protocols for Ukrainians, territorial issues and a utility plan.