Waltz recalls what he said to Zelensky.
National Security Advisor Michael Waltz said on March 1 that administration officials advised President Donald Trump to avoid a follow-up meeting with Ukrainian President Voldimir Zelensky after a clash with Trump and Vice President JD Vance the previous day.
Speaking to Fox News’ Charlie Hart, Waltz explained how he and Secretary of State Marco Rubio had to talk to Zelensky after the Ukrainian president was escorted from the oval office.
During the meeting, Trump and Vice President JD Vance told Zelenskyy that he needed to be willing to compromise, suggesting that he needed to be more grateful and respectful for his administration’s efforts to support the Trump administration’s efforts to end the war that began with Russia’s invasion of Ukraine three years ago.
We unanimously advised the President that after that insult in the oval office, he has not seen how it can move forward, and that even a few involvement will only retreat from this moment,” Waltz said of Hurt about Trump’s previous plans to meet with Zelensky for lunch after the oval office replacement.
Instead, Waltz and Rubio, who previously defended Ukraine and Zelensky, had to talk to the Ukrainian president’s aide after being asked to leave the White House. Waltz said Ukrainian ambassador for US Oksana Markalova was “substantially in tears,” but Zelenkie was apparently debate.
Waltz recalls what he said to Zelensky. There’s no time on the battlefield. From the perspective of world situations, we don’t have time. Most importantly, US aid and taxpayer tolerance are not unlimited. ”
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The national security adviser denied allegations that the White House talks were intended as some sort of ambush, saying the administration is preparing to enter into a contract with Zelensky on rare earth minerals in exchange for ongoing military support.
“I think we have to be very open and very honest. I don’t know if we’ve done anything wrong,” he said, adding that he regretted having a conversation in front of the media.
Byer asked the Ukrainian leader if Trump agreed to the accusations that Russian President Vladimir Putin was “too close.”
In response, Zelensky said Trump told him he wanted him to be in the “center” of two fighting countries to ensure that all parties participate in the negotiations.
“I really want him to be more by our side,” Zelensky said. “The war didn’t just start somewhere in our country. It started when Russia brought this war to our country.”
He added that Ukraine is “prepared for peace, but we need to be in a strong position.”
Joining Waltz and bringing news to Zelenskyy following a fierce exchange, Rubio criticized Ukrainian leaders for not signing a mineral agreement after extensive discussions with US officials leading up to the White House Conference.
Rubio also told CNN’s Kaitlan Collins on Friday that Zelenskyy appears to have refused to negotiate with Russia.
“(Zelenskyy) was in an oval office to sign a mineral rights deal. …But again, when you have a comment… it appears intentionally prepared to make an argument that peace is impossible. …As if you say so… he can’t trust him and waste time in negotiations, so you can’t negotiate with Putin. Well, he basically directly undermines everything the president told him he’s trying to do,” Rubio said.
Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent spoke Sunday with CBS’s “Face the Nation,” saying he is not currently at the table after an oval office meeting on Friday.
“President Trump’s idea about this economic arrangement was to further entangle the American people and Ukrainian people and not show sunlight,” Bescent said. “To demonstrate that Russian leaders had no sunlight, President Zelensky came to the oval office and tried to associate the deal in front of the world.”
“We are ready to sign a mineral agreement and will be our first step towards security assurance. But that isn’t enough, and we need more,” he wrote. “A ceasefire without security guarantees is dangerous for Ukraine. We’ve fought for three years, and the people of Ukrainians need to know that America is on our side.”
Emel Akan contributed to this report.
