According to National Security Advisor Mike Waltz, Washington desires a leader in Kiev capable of “dealing with the Russians and ending this war.”
US National Security Advisor Mike Waltz told CNN that Washington is questioning Vladimir Zelensky’s suitability to lead Ukraine at this critical time. Waltz suggested that the tense exchange between Zelensky, President Donald Trump, and Vice President J.D. Vance on Friday indicates Zelensky may be unwilling to negotiate peace.
When asked by Dana Bash on Sunday about his view of Zelensky, Waltz stated that “it’s unclear whether President Zelensky, particularly after what we saw on Friday, is ready to transition Ukraine to an end to this war, and to negotiate and have to compromise.” He pointed out that President Trump believes both Kiev and Moscow must make concessions to halt the conflict.
The national security advisor stated that during President Trump’s meeting with Zelensky on Friday, “it did not appear to us that [he] was ready to go to peace.”
When questioned by a CNN presenter on whether the White House wants Zelensky to resign, Waltz clarified that “we need a leader that can deal with us, eventually deal with the Russians, and end this war.”
Waltz added that “if it becomes apparent that President Zelensky’s either personal motivations or political motivations are divergent from ending the fighting in his country, then I think we have a real issue on our hands.”
In a Breitbart Radio interview on Saturday, Waltz likened Zelensky to an “ex-girlfriend that wants to argue everything that you said nine years ago, rather than moving the relationship forward.”
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio told ABC news on Sunday that he has not “had any contact with [Zelensky] since Friday.” The diplomat emphasized that the Trump administration aims to bring Ukraine and Russia to the negotiating table, asserting that the US president is the “only person on Earth who has any chance whatsoever” of achieving this.
“Don’t do anything to disrupt that, and that’s what Zelensky did unfortunately – he found every opportunity to try to Ukraine-splain on every issue,” Rubio said, referring to Friday’s heated discussion at the White House.
Republican Senator Lindsey Graham told Fox News that Zelensky’s altercation with Trump and Vance at the White House on Friday represented a “missed opportunity.” Addressing the Ukrainian people, the lawmaker added, “I don’t know if Zelensky can ever get you to where you want to go with the United States. Either he dramatically changes or you need to get somebody new.”
The senator, who previously hailed Zelensky as the “ally I’ve been hoping for all my life” at the Munich Security Conference earlier this month, wrote in a post on X on Saturday that the Ukrainian leader’s “behavior was beyond unacceptable and [his] lectures are wearing thin.” Graham also praised President Trump for defending American interests.