Mike Waltz: Idea U.S. Ambushed Zelensky "Absolutely False", He Was "Incredibly Disrespectful"

National security adviser Mike Waltz said during an interview over the
weekend that the notion that the Trump administration ambushed Ukraine
President Volodymyr Zelensky was �absolutely false� and that it was his
demeanor and behavior during the meeting the derailed things.

Waltz made the remarks during a Sunday CNN interview with Dana Bash on �State
of the Union� when asked about how things could get back on track between the
United States and Ukraine after the blowup in the Oval Office on Friday.

�What was so, I think, stunning to all of us in the Oval Office was that it
was not clear Zelensky was going to go to negotiations at all, that he would
ever be able to negotiate with Putin, and whether he shared our goal of
ending this war,� Waltz said.

�So, what I made clear, as Secretary Rubio and I said, look, this cannot
proceed, was that this was a huge missed opportunity for him and for his
country,� he continued.

He said that Zelensky could have left the White House on Friday with a deal
in hand as he went back to Europe to meet with President Macron of France and
with Prime Minister Starmer of the United Kingdom �where they were talking
about European boots on the ground, security guarantees for Ukraine, a
positive movement towards ending this war, and having Ukraine and the United
States being bound together for a generation economically.�

He reiterated what President Donald Trump has made clear, that Zelensky will
be welcomed back when he is �ready to truly engage for peace.�

He said that it was not clear to the administration that Zelensky wanted to
negotiate an end to the war and that his �demands of security guarantees�
were a potential roadblock.

�And, further, coming to the Oval Office, with the body language, the shaking
of head, the kind of the arms crossed, we just found it incredibly
disrespectful,� he said. �We were ready to sign that deal.�

�I want to address directly that this was some type of ambush,� he continued.
�It is absolutely false. We had negotiated the minerals deal in the weeks
prior. It was difficult, but it was done and finalized and ready to be signed
in the East Room.�

WATCH:

National Security Adviser @MikeWaltz47 says it�s �absolutely false�
that the Trump-Zelensky blowup was �some type of ambush,� telling
@DanaBashCNN, �It was not clear� whether he shared our goal of ending
this war.� pic.twitter.com/b564BAMzd9

� State of the Union (@CNNSOTU) March 2, 2025

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