A.G. Gancarski
Friday’s heated confrontation between U.S. President Donald Trump and Ukrainian leader Volodymyr Zelenskyy saw two Florida-bred presidential appointees charged with removing the foreign team from the White House.
National Security Advisor Mike Waltz appeared on Saturday’s “Fox and Friends Weekend,” where he described Zelenskyy’s removal by him and Secretary of State Marco Rubio after the meeting was over.
“We had a meeting after that exchange after the press was asked to leave, and we pretty much unanimously advised the President that after that insult in the Oval Office, we just do not see how that could move forward, that any further engagement would only go backwards from this moment on, and that’s what we walked over and told President Zelenskyy and his team,” Waltz said.
Ahead of the negotiation’s collapse, Zelenskyy engaged in cross talk with Trump and Vice President JD Vance.
“The problem is I’ve empowered you to be a tough guy,” Trump said. “And I don’t think you’d be a tough guy without the United States.”
Trump and Vance said Zelenskyy wasn’t sufficiently grateful for American help.
Based on Friday’s actions, Waltz said he wasn’t sure if Zelenskyy “truly wants to stop the fighting,” which has led Trump “frustrated and angry.”
The drama continued off camera.
As he was being walked out, Waltz said Zelenskyy was still “argumentative,” which led the National Security Adviser to tell him that “time was not on his side.”
The former Congressman from North Florida wasn’t the only man with Sunshine State ties who was unhappy with the Ukrainian leader.
During a CNN appearance Friday, Secretary of State Marco Rubio said Zelenskyy needed to apologize to President Trump “for turning this thing into the fiasco for him that it became.”
“There was no need for him to go in there and become antagonistic,” the former Senator turned chief diplomat told primetime host Kaitlan Collins.
Rubio also questioned if Zelenskyy wants the fighting to end during Friday’s interview.
“You start to suspect, does he really want an end to this war? Does he just think that we have to do whatever he says and give him anything he wants without any end game?”
Rubio, who sat impassively during the meeting, had worked to engage Ukraine in an exchange of rare earth mineral rights for American security guarantees.
In football terms, it fell short of the goal line Friday. Ahead of the derailed public negotiation, the Secretary of State said it was just a “tush push” away, days after he accused Zelenskyy of lying about the deal for domestic consumption in Ukraine.
On X Saturday, Zelenskyy said Ukraine’s position was a mineral deal was a “first step toward security guarantees.”
“But it’s not enough, and we need more than just that. A ceasefire without security guarantees is dangerous for Ukraine. We’ve been fighting for 3 years, and Ukrainian people need to know that America is on our side,” Zelenskyy claimed.
16 comments
Chuck Anziulewicz
March 1, 2025 at 9:08 am
This was a planned political mugging, calculated to either get Zelensky to do Donald Trump’s bidding, or being able to blame Zelensky for precipitating a diplomatic crisis. Ultimately all Trump did was embarrass the United States on the world stage.
If ANY other U.S. President had behaved in such a childish manner, everyone would be outraged. But, you know, it’s Trump, and MAGA considers him infallible and incapable of error. Nothing says “cult” better than that.
Earl Pitts American
March 1, 2025 at 9:12 am
Good Morn’Ting America,
Welp it looks like we are going to need to take Ukrainian leader Volodymyr Zelenskyy on a tour of our facilities down there at GITMO.
He can give us his valuable feedback on many things down there. Most likely take about 30 years to finish his assignment.
Oh yeah that would leave a void to fill over there in Ukraine ….. let’s see now ….. who ….. just who can we replace good ‘Ole Volodymyr with??? ….. “OH I GOT IT”, said Earl Pitts American, Tom Holman !!! ….”PERFECT” , said Earl Pitts American,
“Thank you, America” ,
said Earl Pitts American
the Truth
March 1, 2025 at 10:23 am
Zelensky does not want peace, he is making to much money off the war
Skeptic
March 1, 2025 at 11:25 am
Your source for this libel is what? I suppose you mean Zelensky doesn’t want to unconditionally surrender like the GOP surrender monkeys. If Agent Orange and his converso lackey are not unconditionally surrendering to their St. Vlad, what ARE they getting out of it? How much will they (together with their Afrikaaner friend) personally pocket for selling out our allies?
LawLib
March 1, 2025 at 10:35 am
Waltz & Rubio obviously had cotton in their ears and blinders on for yesterday’s Oval office meeting between the Ukrainian & U.S. presidents. If anyone should have been ejected from that office for brutish decorum and downright bad manners it was the dynamic duo of impetuous hosts, Trump and Vance. Talk about ” piling on”!
Andy
March 1, 2025 at 10:36 am
Russia and China working together to destroy the US, and we have a true Patriot leader fighting Communism abroad, unlike our ‘Heel Spur’ Patriot that has no f___g clue about valor, sacrifice, and serving, only profit off the losses of a citizenship, and Mike Waltz kisses his ass over of the people, for the people, and by the people!
Peachy
March 1, 2025 at 10:52 am
How many years did Biden serve in the military? Remind us again what his excuse / deferment was for.
JD
March 1, 2025 at 11:55 am
You’re losing Peachy. Nobody is buying it anymore.
How’s that price of eggs and gas again?
Andy
March 1, 2025 at 10:37 am
Last time Trump kneeled down for Putin, it was for secrets on Biden, today it’s minerals for Kushner!
Peachy
March 1, 2025 at 10:57 am
Did Biden take a knee to get his idiot son a position on the board of Burisma?
JD
March 1, 2025 at 11:55 am
Still losing.
Skeptic
March 1, 2025 at 11:12 am
Sad to see Walsh and Rubio making excuses for Agent Orange, his converso puppet and the rest of the MAGA surrender monkeys. When they say Zelensky doesn’t want peace what they mean is Zelensky doesn’t want to unconditionally surrender to Putin (as they have done). Why Zelensky should feel grateful to thieves and/or loan sharks that want to steal his country’s patrimony in exchange for [fill in the blank: don’t let Musk’s accounting fool you] — generally, I’m not sure who shows gratitude for coercive theft. And what happened to Susie Wiles — the Trump whisperer? I guess based on the unsupervised visit to Romper Room yesterday, she is AWOL or just as ineffective as all the previous “adults in the room.”
PeterH
March 1, 2025 at 11:13 am
Diplomacy is not a one way street. From the very start, this MAGA experiment in international diplomacy has failed miserably. Who thought it was a good idea for Saudi intervention as a peacemaker? Well we won’t be invited back to ANY negotiating table until Trump is out of office.
ScienceBLVR
March 1, 2025 at 11:21 am
One wonders how this exchange would have played out without Trump’s incessant narcissistic need to mug for the cameras. If it had taken place with adults in the room with diplomacy and understanding of the importance of the meeting. Instead, like a cross between The Appentice and a Fake Wrestling event, this clown show was the ultimate embarrassment for America. Just for Trump’s television ratings. And of course, gotta love special guest, MTG boy asking about his outfit? WOW, Camp David Accords it was not..
KathrynA
March 1, 2025 at 11:24 am
I have never seen such a despicable display and treatment of a brave man, who has headed up the fight for the sovereignty of his people after being attacked by Putin and land taken and lives and property destroyed. He had a right to say he was very wary of trusting Putin. Who would and especially, what they have been through. I guess we really know and are not guessing anymore that Trump and Vance are all on Putin’s side. And of course, his own–to aim for getting billions in rare earth minerals and kept talking about how this was so important to us. It’s called extortion and horrible to treat a good man and country like this. And Russia was loving it–look up their remarks! Be very worried!
Skeptic
March 1, 2025 at 11:33 am
I’m not worried for Ukraine. Watching Zelensky, who has taken on Putin in an armed conflict at high risk to his own life, listen to two bellicose cowards whining about the gratitude the world owed them just for breathing the same air as the rest of us was disgusting. I am worried for the U.S. and those of its citizens who remain sane — the world of freedom is collapsing as these mendacious DOGE bags grab everything that isn’t nailed down. We know the cost of freedom, what is the profit that the MAGA surrender monkeys have negotiated (40 pieces of silver doesn’t buy that many Easter eggs any more)?