WASHINGTON (Kyodo) -- U.S. President Donald Trump said Tuesday that Ukraine is ready to return to negotiations as soon as possible in a bid for peace in the war-torn country, days after his tense Oval Office meeting with its leader, Volodymyr Zelenskyy.

Speaking to a joint session of Congress for the first time in his second term, Trump said he received an "important letter" from Zelenskyy earlier in the day, in which the Ukrainian president also expressed readiness to sign a minerals agreement whenever convenient for the U.S. leader.

Trump said the United States has received "strong signals" from Russia that it is "ready for peace," adding, "Wouldn't that be beautiful?"

At the top of his speech, Trump declared, "America is back," as he outlined his priorities for the coming months, reaffirming his commitment to ending Russia's three-year war in Ukraine and imposing more import tariffs.

"The American dream is surging, bigger and better than ever before. The American dream is unstoppable," Trump said.

He cited a decline in the number of illegal immigrants crossing the southern border and an increase in planned investments in the United States by foreign companies as among his accomplishments since returning to the White House on Jan. 20 for a nonconsecutive second term.

Yet Trump's televised prime-time policy address, which often echoed a campaign speech filled with criticism of his predecessor, Joe Biden, came as tensions are rising on multiple fronts at home and abroad, including over large-scale federal worker layoffs and his administration's aggressive tariffs on imports.

Trump said rescuing the U.S. economy and securing "dramatic and immediate relief" for working families are among his highest priorities.

As part of efforts to achieve that goal, he pledged to develop domestic production of energy and natural resources, including rare earths and other critical minerals.

"My administration is also working on a gigantic natural gas pipeline in Alaska, among the largest in the world, where Japan, South Korea, and other nations want to be our partner, with trillions of dollars being spent by them," he said. "It will truly be spectacular."

When Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba visited Washington in February, he vowed to Trump that Japan will increase liquefied natural gas purchases from the United States.

However, Japanese officials have not publicly confirmed if Tokyo has decided to take part in such a pipeline project, and it remains unclear if the government or companies are willing to make a massive investment, as Trump suggested.

Amid growing concerns over U.S. inflation and a global economic slowdown, Trump defended his tariff plans, saying they are necessary to revive American manufacturing and create jobs.

Still, U.S. stock markets have fallen sharply since his announcement a day before of new 25 percent tariffs on imported goods from Canada and Mexico.

The tariffs took effect Tuesday, along with his doubling of the additional levies imposed on Chinese imports in early February to 20 percent.

Despite warnings from many American companies that their supply chains could face serious disruptions, Trump reiterated that his proposed reciprocal tariffs, which would match the duties foreign countries impose on U.S. goods, will "kick in" as scheduled on April 2.

"Whatever they tax us, we tax them. If they do non-monetary tariffs to keep us out of their market, then we do non-monetary barriers to keep them out of our market," he said.

Trump's speech lasted more than an hour and a half. Shortly before his concluding remarks, he touched on the war in Ukraine, reading out the letter from Zelenskyy.

Trump said, "I'm also working tirelessly to end the savage conflict," a day after a White House official confirmed that the United States had suspended the delivery of all military aid to Ukraine.

Trump has been stepping up pressure on Zelenskyy to make concessions and agree to a cease-fire with Russia.

Trump's meeting with Zelenskyy in the Oval Office last week showed the 78-year-old Republican president's confidence in Russian President Vladimir Putin and the prospects of reaching a peace deal with him.

The meeting unraveled in front of the media after Zelenskyy expressed doubts about trusting Putin, pointing to the Russian president's history of broken diplomatic promises, and argued that any peace deal must include U.S.-backed security guarantees.