Mike Waltz sets scene for Donald Trump approach to Ukraine and Israel

Mike Waltz is co-signing a bill to boost STEM education, particularly for minority students.

U.S. Rep. Mike Waltz stepped up to signal President-elect Donald Trump’s approach to intense situations, including resolving the war between Ukraine and Russia and addressing the conflict between Israel and Gaza, on ABC’s This Week with George Stephanopoulos.

Waltz is a Republican from St. Johns County, representing Florida’s 6th Congressional District, whom Trump picked to serve as the incoming administration’s National Security Advisor. Sunday morning, he fielded questions from interim host Jonathon Karl during an extensive interview about pressing foreign affairs facing the administration once Trump takes office on Jan. 20.

Waltz, a former green beret, took a hawkish stance when pressed on ending the two-year war between Russia and Ukraine. When asked about Trump’s announced plans to set up a meeting between Russian President Vladimir Putin and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, Waltz pivoted to increasing sentiments to end the conflict.

“It’s been striking to me just since the President’s (Trump) election, how many people have gone from, ‘an unqualified blank check, as long as it takes,’ whether that’s months, years in terms of perpetuating this war …,” Waltz said. “To now even President Zelenskyy walking in the room in Paris and saying, ‘Ready to work with you to end this war.’ Let’s end it justly, responsibly in a way that protects Ukraine’s future but ends this thing … .”

Waltz went on to say that from Trump’s perspective, they need both sides to come to the table for negotiations to lead to a resolution, and he believed that the process was underway. However, Waltz added, “We haven’t set the exact framework yet.”

He also pointed out that Ukraine could raise more soldiers to fight the war by lowering the draft age from the current minimum of 26 to 18.

“This thing could expand, and that’s what we have to stop,” Waltz said.

On the Israeli front, Waltz was asked what Trump is doing to wrangle some agreement with Hamas, the Palestinian nationalist organization locked in conflict with Israel over the Gaza territory, to free Americans being held hostage in that region.

“Those negotiations are literally happening as we speak,” Waltz said. “Hamas is completely isolated.”

Given that Hamas has little to no allies in the region, Waltz said the organization would have to deal with the United States and return any Americans the organization took captive in the middle of the conflict.

“Let’s have a cease-fire. Let’s allow our hostages to be set free. I want to see them walking across the tarmac. (There should be) at a minimum, some type of agreement before the inauguration (Jan. 20) because President Trump is serious,” Waltz said.

“Any deal will only get worse for Hamas and there will be all hell to pay in the Middle East if we continue to have this kind of hostage diplomacy.”