Following a contentious press conference with President Donald Trump at the Oval Office on Friday, Zelenskyy stated that his issues with the Trump administration began after controversial statements made in the five weeks following Trump’s inauguration.

“It’s not about anger,” Zelenskyy told Fox News’ Bret Baier on “Special Report.”

“[When you hear] president, vice president, or senators – high-profile politicians – saying things like Ukraine is almost destroyed, our soldiers are fleeing and not heroes, Ukraine has lost millions of civilians, and its president is a dictator…”

“The reaction is, is there a connection between Ukraine and the United States?”

Zelenskyy emphasized the importance of the strong partnership between Ukraine, the U.S., and Europe in the face of Russian President Vladimir Putin’s aggression.

However, when asked whether he should apologize for the heated exchanges in the Oval Office, which started after Vance accused Zelenskyy of being “disrespectful,” the Ukrainian president responded “no.”

“I respect the president, and I respect the American people,” he stated. “I’m not convinced we did anything wrong.”

Zelenskyy maintained that crucial issues need thorough discussion and cautioned Trump, “Don’t trust Putin.”

Zelenskyy reiterated that security guarantees, discussed in the Oval Office on Friday, are vital due to the persistent threat of a Russian invasion.

Zelenskyy also repeated his willingness to resign as president if Ukraine were granted NATO membership.

“We desire a just and lasting peace. That’s the truth. We need security guarantees,” he said. “If the United States supports NATO membership… I believe that will be sufficient for Ukraine.”

After speaking with Putin earlier in the month, Trump suggested that Ukraine should hold elections, alleging that Zelenskyy lacks support among the Ukrainian population.

However, the Ukrainian constitution prohibits elections during wartime.