Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said he was counting on Ukrainian and European unity and US pragmatism, Reuters reports.
He made the statement at a time when Kiev faces a growing crisis in relations with its former key ally, the United States, under President Donald Trump.
Yesterday, Trump said Zelensky was a "dictator without an election" who must act quickly or lose his country - unthinkable rhetoric from a US leader for most of Russia's three-year war.
Trump has been pushing for a quick deal to end the war in Ukraine and has alarmed European allies by leaving them and Ukraine out of initial talks with Russia and blaming Kiev for Russia's invasion in 2022.
In response, European leaders have pledged to increase defense spending, and some are considering creating a U.S.-backed European peacekeeping force for Ukraine, a plan that the Kremlin says is a major cause for concern but which Zelensky has welcomed.
"We stand firmly on our own two feet. I count on Ukrainian unity, on our courage, on the unity of Europe and on the pragmatism of America," Zelensky told Ukrainians in a video address late last night.
"Because America needs success just as much as we do," he added.
The dispute with Washington coincides with a visit to Ukraine by Keith Kellogg, the U.S. envoy to Russia and Ukraine.
Zelensky said he would meet with Kellogg today. He said it was crucial that the meeting, as well as cooperation with Washington in general, be "constructive".
Trump is seeking to restore relations with Russia and invest in Ukraine's mineral resources, which are crucial to the energy transition, even though Ukraine rejected the initial U.S. plan because it did not include security guarantees.
The Trump administration may try to strike a simplified deal on the minerals and later negotiate detailed terms, two people familiar with the matter said.
Arriving in Kiev on Wednesday, Kellogg said he was there to listen. Zelensky initially accused Trump of repeating Russian disinformation, but later adopted a conciliatory tone.
"Together with America and Europe, peace can be more secure, and that is our goal. Success unites us. Our unity is the strongest defense of our future. A future without Russian President Vladimir Putin, but with peace," he stressed.
European leaders are struggling to respond to the sudden apparent shift in US policy towards Russia and Ukraine. Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis was among the European leaders who held talks with Canada today.
"Recent developments and this different perspective from the United States now oblige us not only to face the truth, but also to act with very high speed and implement the decisions that we have been discussing for a long time," he insisted.
Russian forces have devastated Ukrainian towns and villages and are advancing on parts of the 1,000-kilometer front line across eastern and southern Ukraine. Moscow controls a fifth of Ukraine and claims ownership of even more territory.
Ukrainian officials say the ceasefire will only give Russia time to prepare for further aggression, but the head of Ukraine's military intelligence agency said a ceasefire could be reached this year, while casting doubt on the durability of any truce.