Trump's team unanimously ended talks with Zelenskyy after Oval Office meeting
Photo: US National Security Advisor Mike Waltz (Getty Images)
Yesterday, after an argument between the president of Ukraine and the president of the United States, Donald Trump’s administration unanimously decided to end negotiations with Volodymyr Zelenskyy. The US side decided that any further interaction would only move backward, informs CNN, citing US National Security Advisor Mike Waltz.
According to Waltz, both sides separated into different rooms after the press left. He, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio, and other high-ranking officials informed Trump about the decision to end negotiations, as they saw no way to move forward.
“Pretty much unanimously advised the president — that after that insult in the Oval Office, we just do not see how that can move forward, that any further engagement would only go backward from this moment on,” Waltz told Fox News in an interview.
CNN reported that the US National Security Advisor was then sent to deliver the message that Zelenskyy was no longer welcome. When Fox News asked if the Ukrainian president realized what had happened, Waltz answered negatively.
“No, he didn’t (realize -ed.). Frankly, his team did. His ambassador and his adviser were practically — I mean, they were practically in tears wanting this to move forward. But Zelensky was still argumentative,” said Trump’s National Security Advisor.
He also mentioned that he told the Ukrainian president that time was not on Ukraine’s side.
“Time is not on your side here. Time is not on your side on the battlefield. Time is not on your side in terms of the world situation, and, most importantly, US aid and the taxpayers’ tolerance is not unlimited,” he said.
He added that Zelenskyy "has not gotten the memo that this is a new sheriff in town. This is a new president” and that the United States was determined to use a new approach to the world.
As a reminder, in an interview with Fox News, Waltz also stated that yesterday's dispute between Trump, Vice President JD Vance, and Zelenskyy was not an “ambush” or premeditated. According to him, in the adjacent room, the parties were finalizing a deal on rare-earth resources, which the heads of state were to sign after the meeting.
