Donald Trump

Trump confirms he chose Waltz as national security advisor

2 min read
Trump confirms he chose Waltz as national security advisor
In this July 15th photo Rep. Mike Waltz speaks on the first day of the Republican National Convention at the Fiserv Forum on July 15, 2024 in Milwaukee, (Leon Neal/Getty Images)

U.S. President-elect Donald Trump said on Nov. 12 he had chosen Michael Waltz as his national security advisor.

Waltz is a Congressman from Florida and a retired Army Green Beret.

His views on Ukraine have evolved.

In 2022 he called on U.S. President Joe Biden's administration to provide more weapons to Kyiv and argued that the majority of the Republican caucus supported U.S. assistance to Ukraine amid concerns that they could block aid.

“I think the vast majority of the conference realizes that we either pay now or pay later, that Russian President Vladimir Putin fully intends, if he takes Ukraine, to move on to NATO-allied countries like the Baltics, and Poland and Finland,” he said.

However, in October 2024 Waltz said that there must be a reassessment of the United States’ aims in Ukraine.

“Is (involvement in Ukraine) in America’s interest, are we going to put in the time, the treasure, the resources that we need in the Pacific right now badly?” Waltz asked.

Waltz is one of the leading U.S. critics of China, with Trump and his allies focusing more on opposing China than reining in the Kremlin.

Avatar
The Kyiv Independent news desk

We are the news team of the Kyiv Independent. We are here to make sure our readers get quick, essential updates about the events in Ukraine. Feel free to contact us via email with feedback and news alerts.

Read more
News Feed
Video

Along the Dnipro River in southern Ukraine, the front line has remained largely static, but fighting continues every day. The Kyiv Independent’s Francis Farrell and Olena Zashko embedded with Ukraine’s forces in Kherson Oblast, following FPV drone and night bomber teams tasked with defending river islands.

Earlier on Jan. 1, Volodymyr Saldo, a Ukrainian politician turned top Russian proxy head of Russian-occupied parts of Kherson Oblast, accused Kyiv of launching three drones at a hotel and a cafe on the Black Sea coast. Saldo claimed that the alleged New Year drone strike on the village of Khorly killed 24 people, including a child, and wounded more than 50.

Show More