National Security Advisor Mike Waltz criticized Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, suggesting he is not genuinely seeking an end to the war with Russia.
"It’s not clear that Zelensky truly wants to stop the fighting," Waltz said following a tense meeting between the Ukrainian leader and U.S. President Donald Trump in Washington on Feb. 28. "He came in, even though he was warned not to, determined to litigate all of that … This was the wrong approach, wrong time in history, and definitely the wrong president to try to do this."
Their 45-minute Oval Office press briefing escalated into a heated exchange over U.S. aid to Ukraine, ultimately leading to the cancellation of a planned U.S.-Ukraine mineral agreement.
Oleksiy Sorokin
Trump later took to Truth Social, accusing Zelensky of disrespecting the U.S. and declaring, "He can come back when he is ready for peace."
Zelensky has taken a firm stance on peace and refused to accept a deal that could give Russia an advantage.
The Ukrainian president asserted during his interview with Fox News that Ukraine is "ready for peace but we need to be in a good position."
"We want peace... that's why I visited President Trump," Zelensky said, adding that he hopes that Trump would show stronger support for Ukraine rather than positioning himself as a mediator in the war. He emphasized that Russia was the aggressor, having launched the invasion. "I want really him to be more at our side," Zelensky said.
The meeting, initially intended to formalize a deal on Ukraine's natural resources, instead highlighted deep divisions over Ukraine policy within Trump’s administration.
Ukraine-skeptic Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard echoed Trump’s stance, with Gabbard claiming that Zelensky has been pushing the U.S. toward "a nuclear war with Russia/WW3 for years now." Gabbard has previously blamed NATO for Russia's war against Ukraine, and faced scrutiny for her controversial foreign policy views.
Ukrainian-born Representative Victoria Spartz also condemned Zelensky’s approach, accusing him of prioritizing political theatrics over Ukraine’s real needs. "It’s such a disservice to the Ukrainian people to play hero and politics… after how much was done by us for Ukraine and for Europe," she said.
Chris York
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