Mike Waltz, the national security advisor, reportedly stated on Thursday that Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky needs to “tone it down” in light of the fact that his conflict with President Trump is getting worse.
After meeting with Zelensky the previous week, Waltz stated that not only President Trump, but also Vice President Vance and Treasury Secretary Scott Besent are “frustrated” with Zelensky.
“And that’s because we presented the Ukrainians really an incredible and historic opportunity to have the United States of America co-invest with Ukraine, invest in its economy,” and provide Ukraine “the best security guarantee they could ever hope for, much more than another pallet of ammunition,” Waltz remarked.
“Why we’re getting this pushback and certainly this, kind of, as the vice president said, ‘bad-mouthing’ in the press for all the administration has done, in his first term as well, and all the United States has done for Ukraine, it’s just — it’s unacceptable,” Waltz added.
“They need to tone it down and take a hard look and sign that deal,” he concluded.
Bessent, who traveled to Ukraine the previous week, stated that reaching an economic agreement will demonstrate to Russia that the United States is on the same side as Kyiv.
As a means of compensating the United States for the economic and military assistance it has provided to Ukraine since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, President Trump has stated that he would like Kyiv to provide the United States with rare earth elements worth approximately $500 billion.
In response to Zelensky’s recent attacks on Trump, Ukraine was excluded from discussions between officials from the United States and Russia that took place in Saudi Arabia earlier this week.
This has resulted in a contentious back-and-forth that has quickly intensified.
In addition, Waltz stated that the administration of President Trump has been interacting with “our European friends.”
He mentioned that he has had conversations with his counterparts in France, the United Kingdom, and Germany, and that he will be hosting the presidents of the former two countries next week.
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