To resolve YES, he must be contrite and use the words "I'm sorry", "I apologize" or one of the phrases listed below in reference to his performance in the Oval Office on February 28th. Some variation in wording is allowed and it is also admissible if Trump says that Zelenskyy had apologized for the incident in private.
Casual / Everyday Situations
That was my mistake.
I messed up.
I take full responsibility.
I hope you can forgive me.
I feel terrible about this.
That was wrong of me.
Formal / Professional Situations
I regret the mistake.
I take full accountability.
I sincerely regret this oversight.
Please allow me to make things right.
It was an error on my part.
I deeply regret any inconvenience caused.
I understand the impact of my actions.
More Personal / Emotional Situations
I didn’t intend to hurt you.
I was wrong, and I see that now.
I should have done better.
It was never my intention to cause harm.
I hope to earn back your trust.
That was my mistake.
I messed up.
I take full responsibility.
I hope you can forgive me.
I feel terrible about this.
That was wrong of me.
Formal / Professional Situations
I regret the mistake.
I take full accountability.
I sincerely regret this oversight.
Please allow me to make things right.
It was an error on my part.
I deeply regret any inconvenience caused.
I understand the impact of my actions.
More Personal / Emotional Situations
I was wrong, and I see that now.
I should have done better.
It was never my intention to cause harm.
I hope to earn back your trust.
Update 2025-03-04 (PST) (AI summary of creator comment): Clarification:
An acceptable apology must include an admission of culpability.
Phrases that only express regret (for example, "it is regrettable") without accepting responsibility do not meet the resolution criteria.
1,000
3.00@Lorelai true but Trump and Musk and so on can inactivate or limit Ukrainian military capabilities remotely, at a time where the Russian army clearly shows its limits – donkeys, cope cages, lighter and lighter civilian vehicles in attacks. Politics is politics.
@RatUziCat they've made it more than clear already that they support Putin's war crimes. It's not politics, it's complicity in atrocities. Zelensky understands whose side they're on.
@the_xd it's not an opinion, it's a fact. Russia has been torturing, raping and murdering civilians while destroying their homes, looting, and kidnapping and reeducating their children to force them to be russian. It's fucking disgusting that people have such a short memory.
If he truly is fighting the world’s most moral war, one that is so compelling that every nation should feel obligated to support him with as much money for as many years as it takes, then it makes it even more shameful for Zelenskyy to refuse to say “I’m sorry” in exchange for those weapons and American human shields.
@Kamie no, they were never going to give them to him. Musk and Trump have been openly anti-Ukraine from th beginning. Ukraine has thanked the US countleess times and they were lying to Zelensky's face. Their lack of morality is not Ukraine's fault, you are victim blaming.
It’s very simple and easy to show contrition and not turn a signing ceremony into a hostile pr environment. Literally all Zelenskyy had to do was not start shit by bringing up “muh security guarantees” in front of the media and they would have had Americans in Ukraine as human shields, which gives Trump an excuse to get Putin to chill the fuck out. It’s actually brinksmanship, keep in mind, because it means if Americans die over there we get into world war 3, so Zelenskyy was getting way more out of it than many Americans think he should have. Zelenskyy has no chance of winning the war, and he refused back in 2022 to roll the war back and his position’s only gotten worse.
His winning move is to Churchill this shit and turn it into a big enough mess that everyone else has to come bail him out, so no I don’t want Americans over there where if they die everyone knows the USA has to fight Russia because tracksuit-in-chief would be on the phone to his spies to have them killed in an even vaguely legit-looking way and then jump up and down and cry for us to go kill Russia for him.
@Lorelai nevermind those guys. They will never accept that the US betrayed Ukraine with the Budapest Memorandum, and that US not helping Ukraine actually destroys the previous status quo, imperfect rule based order.
And yeah, the Russian Federation betrayed way more than the US. You are right that the Russian Federation has been committing war crimes systematically, on a large scale, for decades, on top of not giving a fuck about international law.
But if Zelensky sees a way to turn an apology into flattery or any other means to obtain additional support from Trump, he'll do it.
@Lorelai bringing up how "unfair" the "situation" is for Ukraine doesn't prove any point
its just an emotional argument
no one is going to fund this never ending war with a country which can fund their army indefinitely
no one is going to fund this never ending war with a country which can fund their army indefinitely
The EU does, because they can't afford to let the Russian Federation undermine their democracies and invade countries.
Also, you may want to look at economic and demographic indicators in the RF. Not looking good.
bringing up how "unfair" the "situation" is for Ukraine doesn't prove any point
its just an emotional argument
Where are they bringing this up? It's a matter of respecting treaties and defending values. Currently, US and RF display a total disrespect for treaties and for values. Other actors are taking notes. Soon we'll see less arms sales for US and RF, and more nuclear powers.
Witkoff:
He felt that Zelenskyy’s letter was a very positive first step. There was an apology.
They're choosing to interpret "it is regrettable" as an apology. Makes it extremely unlikely that we're going to see a real apology.
@skibidist Considering the apology has to be sincere, I doubt that; however, he still might try to make point that Ukraine is a state having its own language.
https://x.com/ZelenskyyUa/status/1896948147085049916
This is the closest thing to an apology that we're going to see:
"Our meeting in Washington, at the White House on Friday, did not go the way it was supposed to be. It is regrettable that it happened this way. It is time to make things right. We would like future cooperation and communication to be constructive."
“It is regrettable that…” isn’t an apology. “I/we regret” is.
e.g.
“Dear Mr. President, we regret being bloodthirsty warhawks. We regret begging from the Europoors. And we most definitely regret the United States just put us at the kiddie table in negotiations.”
compare “I would like to reiterate our commitment to a long lasting, stable marriage. Neither of us want to break up. I really do appreciate that thing you do with your elbow. Our six month date did not go the way it was supposed to. It is regrettable. It is time to make things right. I am ready to marry you.”
(I spat in your face on TikTok live/in front of all your friends trying to neg you)
@Kamie Of course it doesn't count as an apology. Funnily, the exact phrase he used was in the initial set of phrases ChatGPT gave me for the market description (I removed it manually since it's not a real apology).
Unless Trump makes him actually apologize I think this is the best he’s going to give. He’s not going to say anything more on it. The only way I see this resolving YES is if Trump says he “accepts Zelenskyy’s apology and hopes he can behave himself next time he’s invited to the White House” or something and even then I’m not sure how that would resolve.
@typeofemale All the forms in the description admit culpability, while the form he used (it is regrettable) does not and hence cannot count.