Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said he greatly respected President Trump's pursuit of peace.
"But to say that Ukraine started this war is wrong," he said.
Zelensky also said that the Russians want and have always wanted the destruction of the United States.
"We were born in the Soviet Union; we learned all this in school. This is the policy of the Soviet Union. We are fighting for your rights just as we are fighting for ours," he said.
The Ukrainian president expressed hope for more productive meetings with Donald Trump and said that the United States had provided Ukraine with about $105 billion in weapons and other security assistance.