KYIV –

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy on Thursday said his country will work "swiftly and very sensibly” on an agreement granting the United States access to its natural resources, in an apparent overture to tamp down tensions that had flared with President Donald Trump over the deal.

Ukraine has focused on strengthening its negotiating position as the United States and Russia open talks on ending the war - with or without Ukraine’s involvement. In a flurry of diplomacy Thursday and Friday, Zelenskyy spoke with a half-dozen leaders in Europe and Canada to shore up other sources of support.

As he did so, however, Trump said in a radio interview Friday that Zelenskyy did not need to participate in talks intended to end the conflict on his soil.