Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has sent an apology letter for the now infamous Oval Office blow-up, according to White House Special Envoy Steve Witkoff. That comes after a week of tension and questions surrounding the future of American support for Ukraine in its fight against Russia.

Unfortunately, due to the ongoing alleged cyberattacks against X, I can't post the video, as embeds are not working. But here's what Witkoff was quoted as saying on Fox News' "America's Newsroom."

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

“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.”

It wasn't immediately clear if this was the same letter that President Donald Trump mentioned during his recent congressional address or something different. During that speech, Trump did not mention an apology at the time nor was there any reporting to that effect so this appears to be a separate letter representing another olive branch from Zelensky. 

If you missed all the prior drama, it started on Friday, February 28th, when Zelensky appeared in the Oval Office with Trump, Vice President JD Vance, and other administration officials. The purpose of the presser was to shake hands, smile for the cameras, and promote the signing of a mineral rights deal that would open the door for continued aid to Ukraine. 

SEE: What the Heck Was Zelensky Thinking?

For some reason, though, Zelensky decided it'd be a great idea to act defiant and dismissive for the entire thing. Still, Trump and Vance seemed willing to get out of the room without pressing the issue. That is, until the Ukrainian president, some 40 minutes into the presser, interjected to interrogate Vance on his use of the term "diplomacy." Things quickly went downhill, with Zelensky pointedly rejecting any possible ceasefire with Russia while Trump was left fuming. 

ZELENSKY: First of all, during the war, everybody has problems. Even you. But you have nice ocean and don't feel now. but you will feel it in the future. God bless, you won't have war.

TRUMP: Don't tell us what we going to feel. We trying to solve a problem. Don't tell us what we going to feel, because you in no position to dictate that. Remember this. You're in no position to dictate what we're going to feel.

That Zelensky then took to social media to double-down assuredly only made matters worse. Since then, there has been a softening, though, with the Ukrainians clearly wanting to get the mineral rights deal done. Whether this apology will be the thing that brings Trump fully back to the table is something we'll find out soon enough. 

So what happens from here? While I think the mineral rights deal gets done because both sides want it, Russia has greatly complicated matters by directly defying Trump's Friday warning to stop escalating attacks in Ukraine so talks could be arranged. Throughout the weekend, Putin's forces did the opposite, shelling residential areas and shooting ballistic missiles into population centers. That begs the question. While Trump really wants to force Ukraine into peace talks and may succeed in doing so, does Russia actually want that? 

In other words, while the path forward with Ukraine is coming into view, relations with Russia are getting murkier. I can't imagine Trump, who prides himself on looking like the toughest negotiator in the room, is going to be too keen on giving Putin everything he wants. Any peace deal has to seem like an actual compromise for it to be a "win" for the White House, and if Russia isn't willing to offer that, then who knows what happens next?