A.G. Gancarski
National Security Adviser Mike Waltz is the latest official in the Donald Trump administration to signal a drastic change in U.S. posture in the Russia-Ukraine war.
And to that end, he has a message for Ukrainian leader Volodymyr Zelenskyy.
“They need to tone it down and take a hard look and sign that deal,” Waltz said on “Fox & Friends” regarding a peace deal that the U.S. is negotiating to end the nearly three-year territorial conflict.
Waltz and Secretary of State Marco Rubio negotiated over the weekend with Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov in Saudi Arabia, laying diplomatic groundwork for a deal at a negotiation where Ukraine was not present.
Nonetheless, Rubio has noted that peace could be secured if the United States were positioned, post-hostilities, to “partner with Ukraine… for their mineral rights.”
Waltz alluded to that assurance Thursday, saying it could help the U.S. recoup war costs incurred under the Joe Biden administration and protect war-torn Ukraine.
He noted that the American side “presented the Ukrainians really an incredible and historic opportunity to have the United States of America invest in its economy, invest in its natural resources, and really become a partner in Ukraine’s future in a way that’s sustainable, but also would be, I think, the best security guarantee they could ever hope for, much more than another pallet of ammunition.”
Waltz told Fox host Brian Kilmeade that Trump wanted to “drive this war to an end” and “lead this war to a conclusion when no one else has been able to.”
Waltz also noted that discussions still loom with Moscow, including about “security guarantees” and “the future of our relationship,” as the new administration strikes a different strategic posture than the one that just left office.
Nonetheless, it’s even more clear after Waltz’s interview Thursday that Zelenskyy will need to negotiate in good faith and be willing to accept the terms available to end the conflict.
3 comments
MH/Duuuval
February 20, 2025 at 9:31 am
Waltz should have read the fine print in his employment contract, which includes trailing the Grand Old Elephant with a broom and large dustpan to clean up the inevitable mountains of poop Trump generates.
PeterH
February 20, 2025 at 12:11 pm
What Waltz doesn’t seem to comprehend is the fact that neither Russia or the United States are credible partners. Neither can be trusted.
ScienceBLVR
February 20, 2025 at 2:41 pm
Poor Zelenskyy and the Ukrainian people.. getting $crewed from both sides. First Putin invades, murders thousands, then Trump comes to pick the bones. Maybe we can build an all American Amusement park there, even without surfing..and every city the whole world round will just be another American town